


Virtual Bond

by LadyBee



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Online Dating, F/M, Online Romance, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-05-03 06:33:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14563059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBee/pseuds/LadyBee
Summary: "That was how Ben Solo, a.k.a. Kylo Ren, ended up in a blind date settled by his mother as she tested Force Bond."A new dating app and a mother trying to find a good girlfriend to her son.





	1. Prologue

“Why waste time and energy in a relationship with the wrong person? Do you have any idea of how many divorces could be avoided if this app had been available a few decades ago? Look at you and mother? Do you honestly think this would ever happened in a world with a tool able to prevent bad matches?”

“I have nothing to complain about my marriage, kid.” Han gave him a look meant to shut him up.

“As if you have ever bothered to stay around long enough to actually live your marriage, or parenthood for that matter. Whenever the two of you were together it was only endless arguments.” He let his rage and bitterness come out in the most inconvenient way. He should have hold his tongue. His mother got clearly upset with is lack of good sense, but didn’t bother to criticize him. After all their parents had finally gotten the divorce once he left home.

“Have you tested it yourself?” His mother asked as a matter of fact.

“No. I have a team working on it. We have the beta users and we monitor them so we measure the success and what can be improved.” Ben answered soberly as he tried to disguise his embarrassment.”

“Well...You should try it yourself.” Senator Leia looked straight to his face as if she had figured out the wheel herself.

“Why would I ever do such a thing, mother? As I said, I have a team working on it.” Ben answered.

“What sort of business man won’t try his own product? Besides...You are single and you haven’t date anyone since you left Luke’s camp. Since you are not a Jedi or anything of the sort...I can’t see why you shouldn’t. I would like to have grandchildren and who knows how much time I have left.” The last sentence had came out heavy with fear and teary eyes.

That was how Ben Solo, a.k.a. Kylo Ren, ended up in a blind date settled by his mother as she tested Force Bond.

 


	2. Chapter 2

She spotted Finn from a distance even before he started waving at her to indicate his location. Campus was always a bit crowded during the first days of the semester and Rey was still figuring her way around the place.

They usually had lunch under an ancient tree and Poe would stop buy every now and then just to make sure everyone would look their way. Dameron was some sort of celebrity on the rising and the fact that Rey had lunch with his boyfriend only served to spoil her plans of passing by unnoticed.

She sat by Finn’s side before giving her sandwich a bite.

“Are you gonna eat the whole thing?” Finn asked as she chewed her lunch vigorously.

“Yeah!” She answered with a half full mouth and the manners of a low sailor. “Not that big.”

“You eat as if you’ve spent your whole life in the desert. I don’t know how you can manage that without getting fat.” Finn pointed as he grabbed his book. “I should have read this sooner.”

“Try to live in the system with several hungry kids and you’ll learn to eat in quantity and very very fast.” Rey answered as a matter of fact. “I can’t even imagine professor Yoda’s test. It took me forever to read the books without falling asleep half way through the first page.”

“Interesting they are not.” Finn imitated the old teacher’s peculiar way of speaking, making Rey laugh. “So...Talking about interesting. You know I hate my boss with all my heart, but at times working for First Order has its moments. I have something for you to try.”

“What is it?” Rey asked as Finn picked up his phone. Whatever it was it sounded like a big deal.

“A new dating app. The name is lame, but we are working on it. The point is that it’s 100% fail proof.” Finn said as if the thing was the best thing since Solo completed the circuit of Kessel in twelve parsecs.

“Don’t even dare to finish. I’m not going on a social experiment with online dating. I’m fine the way I am.” Rey said immediately before finishing her sandwich.

“You mean taking care of Beebee whenever Poe is out? Or working on that garage for pretty much nothing? You can do way better than this, Rey. You are incredible and I know you have this brilliant career ahead of you in the races. It’s just a matter of time until Poe gets you in the team, meanwhile it wouldn’t hurt if you had a couple of nice dates with cute guys.”

“Those apps are for people looking for easy sex and honestly I’m not into it. I would like something secure and steady in my life if I were to look for a relationship.” Rey explained while trying to politely decline the offer.

“That’s why I’m sending you the invitation! This app is designed for people looking for commitment. You have the exact profile they want to run the tests. It’s not open for everyone, so the number of options will be a bit limited, but hey…! You could actually find Mr. Right, or at least some good dates.”

“Have you tried it yourself?” Rey asked skeptically with an eyebrow raised.

“Didn’t need to. I found Poe before it was created, but I guess I was just lucky. We’ve been working on it for quite a while now and so far it’s amazing. Every guy in this thing will be evaluated and the algorithm calculates their compatibility with you in percents. That’s a mathematic way of saving you a lot of time with douches. You describe what you are looking for in your ideal partner and the app does the rest. You are looking for Mr. Right, with good hair, six packs, that likes races, dogs and wants a family in the long run? That’s a good place to start looking for him.”

“I suppose you are gonna help me navigate this thing while we go through a list of eligible bachelors as if it were a menu.” Rey pointed while Finn nodded at her.

“Sounds good for me.” A third voice interrupted the conversation. “Is it the new app?” Poe asked before sitting by Finn’s side with one of those dazzling smiles meant to seduce even a piece of furniture.

“Finn is trying to get me in this social experiment of his.” Rey answered immediately. “Not sure if it’s a good idea.”

“Well...It won’t hurt if you get to know new people. I know you love working at the garage and soon I’ll get you an interview with Solo, but mean while it would be good for you to get some distraction. This is not Jakku and there’s a lot this city could offer to you.” Poe insisted with his usual charisma surrounding him like a halo. “I doubt the nerds in this would be of your liking, but who knows?! You might find a tall dark stranger.”

“Now you sound like a fortune teller.” Finn grinned at him widely.

“Maybe because I get a feeling about it and I already can see our dear neighbor holding hands with a handsome guy somewhere exotic like an island.” Poe added with extra drama to every word making her laugh hard. Well...Dreaming wouldn’t hurt, would it?

“Ok! Sign me in! How do I navigate this thing?” Rey asked even though her doubts weren’t dismissed entirely.

“First of all we need to take some good pictures of you. Preferably one in which you aren’t hugging Beebee.” Finn pointed.

“We can keep one of those. I actually thing she looks cute in them. Besides, the world deserves to know that my buddy is the cutest dog alive.” Poe would never stop being proud of his French Bulldog no matter what, but Rey had to admit that she had a thing for the temperamental beast. Beebee VIII was the cutest dog ever.

That was how they spent the next thirty minutes taking a bunch of pictures of Rey with their cellphones. Poe was convinced that she needed some sexy pics to make her profile interesting, but there was no chance in hell she would show cleavage or make faces just to impress some random guy.

By the end of the day Rey had a brand new profile, with some cute pictures of her reading, eating an apple, smiling as she stared at the horizon and even one of her pretending to meditate. At least she wrote her short bio despite Poe and Finn’s protests.

“ _Trying to find my place in all this. Amateur racer, mechanic and student looking for a nice guy for commitment. Force Sensitive and trying to learn my way through it. I love dogs and I’m a Libra, if you think it to be relevant.”_

It sounded like something she would say and that was a good thing. Not that Rey considered herself to be an extraordinary girl, but she wasn’t exactly given to long speeches and flourished descriptions of herself. She had a very pragmatic mind and was objective to the point of being blunt at times.

Well...If she were looking for commitment than the other part should know that about her. Rey didn’t need a prince charming to rescue her from her boring life. She wanted companionship. She wanted a friend. She wanted a family.

That was enough to scary any one looking for an easy one night stand. That was also how she ended up dating him.

 

§§§§§§

 

He spent several hours thinking about what to write on his short bio before allowing his mother to get anywhere near his account on Force Bond.

The whole discussion soon turned into a betting, especially because his father wouldn’t quit his obvious disdain for Ben’s creation. Well...He simply had to do something about it and prove the old man wrong. His mother loved the idea, of course. It was no secret that she longed for the day he would bring a girl home and give Senator Leia the hope of a grandchild in the near future.

No, he wasn’t interested in building up a family. The name Skywalker alone sounded like a curse so having children was something he would rather not do to world. Besides...He couldn’t possibly be a good father and as for finding a life companion...He had nothing but money to offer.

Relationships demanded a time he didn’t have in quantity and an effort he wasn’t willing to make to maintain it. He would likely end up with a gold digger or something close enough to make no difference. His parents would hate it and soon Ben would find a good reason to ditch the nuisance.

That sounded like a good plan. He didn’t need to marry the person. Only dating a random girl for long enough to make a point. His app worked and Ben had no doubt of it, but for Force Bond to reach its purpose one should be willing to find a life partner.

The whole process was somewhat a self-learning experience. First he had to learn how to write about himself and Senator Leia was kind enough to point that he either sounded like a robot or a creepy. In the end Leia’s expertise in the gentle sex’s mysteries proved to be helpful.

“ _Programmer/Designer, working on my own business. I have a passion for cars (the faster the better) and I like to cook. Calligraphy practice helps me to think clearly. Gemini with ascendant in Aries (whatever that means). I’m looking for companionship and commitment...May the Force be with us.”_

“It sounds like you.” His mother said behind his back. “Or at least a less...Intimidating version of you.”

“Thanks for pointing that I’m a freak. In my defense I’ll say that it came from the Skywalker side of the family.” He said as he updated his profile on the app. “Gemini with ascendant in Aries...What sort of hippie thing is that? What does it mean?”

“That you are clever, energetic, anxious, with a bit of a temper.” Leia answered with all her expertise in new era mambo-jumbo.

“Is this a code I should learn about?” It all sounded a bit ridiculous to him.

“It can help. It’s funny anyway.” Leia smiled at him as she used to do when he was a child. “Is it ready?”

“I need to chose a picture of me and it should be ready.” He said as a matter of fact.

“Why you always have to wear black suites and tie on your pictures? They all look the same to me.” Leia seed genuinely annoyed by that fact.

“That makes things simple. With or without beard?”

“Dear...You have a handful of facial hair. That’s not enough to make it a beard.” Leia teased him and his poor attempt of keeping a goatee and mustache. “I like you better with a nice and clean face. Leave at least one picture of you with glasses. It makes you look warmer, like someone nice to hug in a cold night.” At that he flustered. His mother could be so annoying at times!

“Anything else?” His voice came out heavy with sarcasm and it only served to make his old mother grin as her eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Now let us see if we can find you some decent girlfriend.”

“I would rather do it myself. Thank you.” It was a futile hope to think that Senator Leia would ever be dismissed so easily from her mission.

“Nonsense. You’ll will probably go for the prettiest girl like any other man would.” Leia snorted.

“The purpose of it is to find a compatible companion. I won’t ignore this aspect, if that’s what you are worried about. Good looks would be preferable, though.” Ben pointed as a matter of fact.

“Never trust a Skywalker man to make decisions. That’s the hardest lesson I’ve ever learned. Let me see the girls already!”

They remained like that for a couple of hours. Looking through several different profiles of eligible girls. After a while Ben tried to remember the last time he had been that close to his mother or had enjoyed her company that much. It was probably before he had been sent to Luke’s camp and all the madness that followed.

A breast cancer had been necessary to bring them back together, actually talking like mother and son should do. Ben loved that old lady with every fiber of his being and maybe that’s why her actions had hurt him so much. No matter how many therapists he talked to, in the end he would always feel like a disappointment to her and the mere thought of it had broken him beyond emend.

Now that wicked adventure she had settled for him seemed like their last moment. His last chance of making her proud perhaps. Finding a girl she would approve of...He could do that for his mother.

“Can you please pic one that doesn’t look like an alien?” He asked with annoyance. Some of his mother’s choices were simply hideous.

“She isn’t that bad. Maybe a new haircut could do the trick.” Leia tried to minimize the candidate’s ugliness, but in the end both of them were laughing at the suggestion.

It was when another profile showed up and to his surprise it was a decent one. Force Bond said they had 91% of compatibility which was by far the highest score they had found until that moment. To his surprise the girl was rather good looking too.

**Trying to find my place in all this. Amateur racer, mechanic and student looking for a nice guy for commitment. Force Sensitive and trying to learn my way through it. I love dogs and I’m a Libra, if you think it to be relevant.** That was her profile and he couldn’t say it was a bad one.

“Now that’s something!” Leia nodded in approval. “She looks adorable. Look! She is Force Sensitive too! This is the one, Ben. I’m telling you!”

“Rey...” He spoke the girl’s name out loud just to feel how it sounded. There was something pleasant about it. “She seems decent. I wonder what she means by amateur racer. Probably a cart racer. Love dogs...That’s predictable.”

“Oh stop it! She likes the sport just like you and never trust someone who doesn’t like dogs.” Leia answered sharply. “If you get to take her on a date be extra careful with your looks. She is a Libra.”

“What’s that even supposed to mean?!” That remark made him slightly exasperated about the girl and his mother’s manipulation.

“She likes pretty things and she must be a very sweet person to be around. A bit of balance to your quick temper.” She smirked. “I like that. She has pretty eyes, don’t you think?”

He gave her picture a good look for a few seconds. Indeed she seemed to be a nice girl. Not a beauty or top model material. No...She was more familiar and realistic, like the girl next door or a childhood friend. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to get to know her or even take that girl on a date somewhere nice.

“Indeed...Her eyes are pretty.” Just like that Ben decided that this girl would be her convenient girlfriend for the following months. That would make his mother happy during her medical treatment and help him to take the Millenium from his father. Seemed like a perfect deal.

 

§§§§§§§

 

Rey was honestly a bit tired of going thru all her options on that app. So far she had found nothing worthy of a second glance and Poe wouldn’t stop making nasty remarks on their looks and profiles. It was impossible to face that whole experience with a straight face.

“This thing will be great once they make it an open to everyone. So far the limited options are killing me.” Rey was nearly giving up the whole thing.

“Fear not, my dear. I’m pretty sure we will find some descent suitor to you. We must be patient.” Poe reassured her. “Oh oh oh! Just look at this one! The highest score so far and at least look like something presentable...Like, you wouldn’t be embarrassed of going out in public with him, although I’m not sure about his ears...Or the nose.” Poe said. “Check this out. _Programmer/Designer, working on my own business._..Well, he looks like a business man and not a looser. _I have a passion for cars (the faster the better) and I like to cook..._ You love cars and you love to eat, so he seems to be Mr. Right so far. _Calligraphy practice helps me to think clearly._ What sort of a nerd has calligraphy as a hobby?! Weird! _Gemini with ascendant in Aries (whatever that means). I’m looking for companionship and commitment…_ That means he is clever, energetic and has a hell of a temper, so handle with care. _May the Force be with us._ How cute! He is Force Sensitive too, or at least a sympathizer.”

“Sounds really good. Actually too good to be true. Let me see him properly.” Rey rose her arm to get her cellphone from Poe’s hands. “What’s his name?”

“Ben. No surname.” Poe handled her the phone so Rey could see for herself.

The guy wasn’t particularly handsome, but her expectations got a bit unrealistic since she started to hangout with Poe. The guys had some sort of appeal though. A mysterious aura or something like that. His hair was ridiculously good looking and he wore a black suite in most of his pictures. There was just one picture of him wearing glasses and Rey had to admit that he looked adorable, or at least more human looking.

“He does have funny ears, but I like the nose. He has...An interesting face. Not a model, but definitely interesting. Feels like someone I could have meat in a workshop or lecture at college.” Rey said as she evaluated the guys with meticulous care. “He really seems to be clever.”

“A hell of a nerd, but that’s fine if you are into this kind of things. His sign and yours are a perfect match and I want to know all the sordid details once you get to take off his pants. Sex is supposed to be amazing with that level of match.”

“You pervert! I’m not telling you this! I don’t even know if I’ll have a date with him!” Rey laughed nervously.

“Oh you are getting a date with him! I’ll make sure of it. Look! The two of you just got a match!” Poe said as he pointed to the phone in her hand.

Rey checked the screen just to see their profile pictures united by a red ribbon with a message saying “You two have a bond.”

“WHAT?! You gave him a like before even showing me the profile?! I’ll bloody kill you, Poe!” Rey was terribly flushed at that point and letting anxious giggles escape her mouth.

“Of course I did. You would never find the courage. Besides...This guy is Mr. Right. I just know it. Let us see if he will message you, or should I text him instead and break the ice already? I have this feeling that if I live it up to you guys, I’ll never get the chance of drink my sore ass to a coma during your wedding in this life time.”

“I’m not marrying anyone. Thank you very much. I would rather wait for his message instead of sounding like a desperate woman.”

“Honey, if I stayed as long as you without sex I would act like a desperate woman. Have you seen his hands?!”

In the end Poe didn’t need to text that guy on her behalf. It took Ben literally five minutes to answer to their match with a clever text.

“ _Why is the Force connecting us?”_ Rey could already imagine a deep and low voice asking her in a seductive way.

“He texted me!” Suddenly the cellphone felt like a boiling rock between her hands and Rey simply didn’t know what to do. “What do I do?!”

“Answer him!” Poe shouted back at her.

“ _Well...I have no idea. What is your theory?”_ Rey replied.

…

“ _I’m not sure yet, but I would like to know more about you so I can elaborate on the matter.”_ He answered back. At this point Poe was already behind her back trying to read everything she wrote.

“He really is a nerd, but damn! Does he sound sexy?!” Poe said. “Answer him!”

“ _I’m intrigued too. I’m thinking we must have a lot in common, but I can say for sure. I need more information on you.”_ Rey texted.

“ _Would it be too soon to ask you out?”_ Ben’s answer came fast.

“ _Maybe. I barely know you.”_ Rey’s fingers had never been that fast in her life. _“Make your offer and I’ll consider it.”_

“ _Dinner. Friday night. 8 p.m. at The Maz. I would prefer to talk to you personaly.”_ That was a hell of an offer indeed.

“WHAT?! He picked The Maz?! That’s fancy!” Poe said in dismay.

“ _I’ll consider your offer. I have to go now. Goodnight.”_ Rey was feeling quite overwhelmed by the whole experience. Her heart was beating like a ceremonial drum.

“ _Goodnight. May the Force be with you, Miss.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll like it and reviews are highly appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Ben wasn’t much of a talker and texting his way to a date wasn’t his thing either. He never knew what to say or how to behave most of the time. He also sounded like an old man given to his formality.

Asking Rey out seemed a more practical way to deal with that mess and actually know her. Ben wasn’t sure if he should keep his master plan to himself, or if he should be honest with her from the start. He had a sick mother to please and an annoying father to beat. Maybe she would agree to help him, especially if he proved to be a generous man.

It would all depend on her character and disposition. In the mean time he was careful enough to find everything he could about her, which isn’t much.

Rey was an orphan since an early age. She was indeed a cart racer and a good one at that, good enough to make her way to The Falcon’s team. _Not as a racer though. The old man would have a hard time accepting a girl taking one of his cars. She must be a competent mechanic though._

She had not extended family and nothing to her name, but clever enough to get a scholarship at the university. Rey seemed broken to the bone, but also a hard worker. Well...He could make her life easier if she agreed to his plan.

He got dressed to their meeting (he simply refused to call it a date) taking especial care with his looks. Even if Ben wasn’t interested in a real relationship his vanity would never allow him to meet this girl anything but his finest. _She is a Libra...Whatever that means._

Ben didn’t have to pick her up. Apparently there was a protocol women followed before a date with someone they meat online and Rey was following it closely. A public place for a date and she would get there on her own. That was more than fine to him.

The only thing he was having trouble to deal with was the anxiety. Damn! He hadn’t been on a date in a very long time and social skills weren’t exactly his specialty. What if that girl had actually liked what she saw on his profile? Was that even possible? Even Ben had to admit that 91% was a pretty neat score and he trusted his creation to be fail proof. What if that girl was actually…No. He simply couldn’t afford giving into all this romantic bullshit. Rey was a contact, a potential business partner and nothing more.

The Maz was the new trend in town. An elegant and yet modern environment, permanently crowded by a variety of people. Politicians, local celebrities, all the rich kids in town with their glasses of champagne and selfies.

Given his family name and also his work he should be a regular to places like that, but the truth was that Ben felt terribly uneasy. He asked for a discreet table at the corner, visible enough for Rey to feel comfortable, but far from the noisy tables.

Ben sat there and waited...Looking at the door every now and then to see when she arrived. He asked for a bottle of champagne. Of course he was presuming she was a drinker. A glass wouldn’t hurt, even if he wasn’t much fond of alcohol. In a way he felt like a black cat waiting to catch the canary.

He could feel a knot forming in his stomach and his hands got sweaty. Ben checked his watch about a dozen times in the space of three minutes. She was late and for a second he wondered if she would be a no-show. A bitter taste came to his mouth at the thought.

That would be a hell of a blow to his ego for sure. A perfect No One from No Where ditching on him was unthinkable. He hated her already.

Fifteen minutes later and he saw her entering the restaurant. A vaporous light gray dress that reminded him of Greek statues of Artemis for some odd reason. She wore a messy bun that could pass as fashionable and a little makeup that gave her skin a certain glow. The waiter showed her the way to their table and Rey seemed to float rather than walk toward him. She was flustered and seemed slightly embarrassed as well.

Ben suddenly felt it. The invisible waves, that tingly sensation of finding another Force Sensitive, but this time there was a strange pull to it. Like opposite poles of two magnets put together, like gravity or even a stronger word he would never speak out loud. Rey felt like his destiny.

 

§§§§§§§§§§

 

Poe and Finn had spent several hours making sure she would look like a human being for a change. Not that they were particularly good with fashion, makeup or anything of the sort. It was just that Rey was an utter disaster in all of that and anyone could do a better job than her at picking a decent outfit to wear on a date.

She would never wear a dress. She didn’t even have one until that day. Her hair woke up determinate to be wild, so a messy bun was the best she could do with it once she arrived home to take a shower and get ready to her date. Lip gloss and some mascara on her lashes was what Rey would consider a professional makeup.

“You look pretty.” Finn said sympathetically once she was ready.

“It’s her first date with the guy. She should look hot as fuck! Don’t worry, girl. You’ll make it to the next date and then we will get you some nice lingerie and a red dress meant to drop jaws. For now you look like someone he would be proud to invite to a family dinner.” Poe completed sarcastically as he held BeeBee so the little beast would ruin her dress.

“I guess it will do for now. At least I don’t look like someone who spent the whole day covered in grease.” Rey added in a hopeful tone. “I don’t have much hope of getting to a second date though. Geez! I’m sweating like a pig here! What if I don’t know what to say? Like...He seems to be really intelligent and I’m hick from Jakku.”

“Provincial, not a hick.” Finn corrected here. “You are quite intelligent yourself so I don’t see why you wouldn’t manage a civilized conversation with the guy. Besides, the two of you seem to have a lot of hobbies in common, so...You will have something to talk about.”

“I hope it will be enough.” She smiled with a dash of fake confidence. “Wish me luck, guys.”

“May the Force be with you!” They both shouted as she walked out the apartment.

Rey check her cellphone and apparently she would get late. She took a cab to The Maz hopping he wouldn’t mind waiting for her a couple of minutes.

During her ride Rey tried to calm down and think a bit about her expectations to that date. Hopefully he would be nice and interesting. Maybe he was really interested in a relationship and not simply easy sex. Not that she would complain about sex, but...Truth be told, she wanted more than that.

_We could at least be friends._ She tried to be optimistic about it. _I hope this guy is worthy. I’m spending way too much money in one single date._

That was painfully true. She had spent money buy a dress she would never wear again and taking a cab to a restaurant she would hardly be able to afford. She was anxious about it, but Finn and Poe had given her some security money so she wouldn’t compromise her finances in the process. Well...She couldn’t complain about her neighbors. They were the best friends one could ask for and at that point they kind of felt like a dysfunctional family.

Family...Maybe that was the reason why she had accepted to be a part of Finn’s experiment. The vague hope of finding in a stranger a home for herself. Companionship and acceptance she had never experienced and a future together.

How pathetic was she? She should simply be quiet about it and not let her expectations get too high.

Once she got to The Maz, Rey had a distinct sensation that her place wasn’t there. Every pair of eyes seemed to be on her as if those people could smell her empty bank account from a distance. She didn’t even know how to behave in a place like that, but it was probably too late to turn her back.

The receptionist approached her with a kind smile on her face.

“May I help you, Miss?” She asked Rey politely.

“I’m looking for someone. His name is Ben. I really don’t know his surname.” Rey answered awkwardly.

“Of course. Mr. Ben is waiting for you, Miss. I’ll have a waiter showing you the way to your table. Please enjoy the evening.”

The waiter didn’t take long to show up and take her to a somewhat secluded table at the corner. It was visible enough for her to consider it safe, but also private enough for them to talk properly.

She felt a sort of flurry in her stomach as she got closer to him. An unsettling sensation of being pulled toward someone as if she were a satellite.

He was looking directly at her. His jawline was tense as he seemed to evaluate everything about her looks. Ben was wearing a suit as she had expected, but without a tie. No glasses, which was a pity. She would feel less intimidated if he wore them.

Rey was certain about one thing though. He was handsome in an unconventional way. Tall like a tree and somewhat impressive about his posture. She couldn’t tell what might have crosses his mind as he saw her, but Rey could only hope that she wouldn’t be a disappointment.

“I’m so sorry. I got a bit late.” Rey said immediately as he rose from his seat to greet her properly.

He was really tall and that was a bit intimidating.

“So I realized. At least you showed up. It would have been rather embarrassing to stay here the whole night waiting.” He answered with a blank tone. It felt like he had been offended.

If her first impression was that of an intimidating man, now Rey was sure of it.

“It wasn’t my intention. Got stuck at my job longer than I thought. I hope you haven’t waited for too long.” She said as she took her seat. The waiter must have felt the tension in the air and disappeared from their sight.

“Fifteen minutes or so. I’m glad you finally arrived though.” Ben sat in front of her.

He had ordered for an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne in it. _That’s quite expensive. I’m getting out of this place totally broken._ Rey looked around feeling slightly uneasy with both the place and Ben’s cold reception.

“So...This is a beautiful place. I had never been here before.” Rey tried to sound sympathetic and polite while starting the meaningless small talk. Her hands were cold and sweaty at that point.

“Me neither, but it’s supposed to be good.” He answered briefly. “Your accent sounds...Interesting.”

“I’m not from Washington.” Rey answered immediately as he poured her a glass of champagne.

“That much I figured.” Another cold answer. What the actual fuck?! That guy had gone from boyfriend material to and iceberg impersonator in a snap of fingers!

“I’m from a little town called Jakku. You probably don’t know it.” She tried to roll with it and keep her good humor despite of his antisocial behavior.

“I can’t say that I do.” His short answer was awkward and blunt.

Rey closed her eyes for a second and tried to focus on something else. The Force in that place was almost oppressive and most of it irradiated from Ben who sat across the table in a perfect tailored suit while sipping champagne. He seemed to be perfectly in control of himself, although the tense jawline let show that he wasn’t exactly comfortable.

“Your accent doesn’t sound familiar either. I presume you are not from Washington.” She said while mimicking him and sipping her own champagne.

“I actually am, but haven’t been here for a long while.” He said.

“Where were you?” She wondered for a second if that question was too personal for a first date.

“Mostly New York, since my graduation.” He said without further explanation.

“Why did you come back then? I mean...New York must be way more entertaining than this place.” Rey tried to keep the conversation going on.

“Business and some personal stuff. I develop apps and softwares. Currently the government is my number one client.” He said. Now that was interesting. He was really smart and sounded like an important men. “As for the personal...It’s basically family issues.”

“I see.” She considered that a sign for her to stop. Any other question on the matter would be way to personal.

“Should we order already?” Ben asked so she wouldn’t have time to make yet another personal question, or so she thought.

“Sure.” Rey agreed. Why was the Force so strong and aggressive in him and why did she felt like she had known him since forever? Ben was odd, cold, guarded like a closed oyster. There was nothing remotely warm about him, except for the magnificent and violent halo around him.

Ben waved his hand and a waiter came immediately. Food should keep them quiet for a while so Rey could understand what sort of man he really was.

“I will have the steak and the lady will have…?” He turned his face to look directly at her. Rey barely had time to chose her meal so she simply picked the same as he.

“Same to me. Thank you.” She said with a polite smile to the waiter. The man left as soon as he came and another moment of awkward silence followed.

“I understand you are fond of races.” Ben pointed it as a matter of fact. “Cart racer perhaps?” That question finally made her feel a bit comfortable. She smiled briefly.

“At first, yes. Now I’m trying to get into a team.” She said with confidence. “I suppose you have heard of The Falcon?”

“Yes, I have. NASCAR runs in my family, so...I’m a big fan.” He answered and for the first time she felt him warming up a bit.

“I work for them. I’m a mechanic really, but I’m trying to get a chance to become a driver. I know it’s a big step, but I’m confident.” She said and her smile was probably larger than life at that point.

“Are you familiar with the cars? It’s not like driving a cart. It requires a great deal of expertise to be a proper driver and this is not a friendly world to a lady.” He said and somehow that sounded like an insult.

“I can drive anything with wheels and a motor. Thanks for your concern.” She replied bluntly. He seemed to find it amusing.

“I don’t think The Falcon has a female team, but your confidence is inspiring. Have you ever tried the Fusion? Maybe a Toyota would suit you better.” He said with a slightly sarcastic tone.

“Only Fords for me. I’m more familiar with them.” She answered.

“Good. We should settled for a little competition between us. You could test one of my cars, if you like.” He seemed pleased with himself for coming up with that idea. His cars? WOW! Great way to prove himself a show off.

“Guess you’re loaded then. Your cars…?” She asked sarcastically.

“Well...Yes.” He answered almost apologetically. “You don’t have to feel bad about it, of course.”

“Why would I? You have money. Good for you.” Rey answered in an outraged way.

“I mean...In my experience, some people get easily offended by money or a large difference of income in a relationship.” He seemed to find that conversation absurdly logical, although it was quite clear that he was also aware that he was walking on thin ice at that point.

“Don’t worry. This is not a relationship.” She answered sharply.

“I thought...” He seemed to consider his words for a moment and he should do that very carefully. “I thought that my financial situation might make me a more attractive option to you, if you were to decide between...Suitors, for lack of a better word.”

“Is this your way of asking me if I’m talking with other guys on that app?” Rey could feel her face burning with anger.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you were. I mean...You are quite attractive and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to notice that.” He was trying to make emends somehow, but at that point Rey was sure that she wanted nothing from him.

“I don’t need anyone’s money. I’ve been managing on my own for quite a while now.” She answered while she rose from her seat. Ben looked at her in disbelief and shock. “You were my first an only attempt on that app and it’s quite clear that the whole 100% fail proof is bullshit. This won’t work.”

“Wait! What?! Are you leaving?!” He seemed surprised at that. He was probably not used to that kind of treatment from lower creatures.

“Of course I am leaving. Any woman with a bit of self respect would do so after being called a potential gold digger.” She said while trying to hold back her tears and anger. “I could try to be polite and say that it was a pleasure to meet you, Ben. I’m not a good liar though. I hope you can find someone who can deal with your level of coldness, arrogance and lack of social skills, because I can’t.”

She turned her back and him and walked away without a second thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...This chapter should be called "Dath Darcy strikes back".  
> Ben has zero knowledge on how to interact with women and he is still divided between making it a business transaction or actually dating Rey for a while.  
> Just for the record: in this AU the Force is a thing and they will used it every now and then. Jedi are a myth or a legend.  
> I hope you'll like it and reviews are welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

Rey bought herself a hot-dog on her way back home. Hopefully there would be beer in her fridge because she would need a lot of alcohol to cope with that awful date.

Ben...The once Mr. Right-to-be was nothing but an arrogant idiot! She wanted to punch him or actually land a chair on his head. Too bad that using the Force in public wasn’t something well seen, but still...The idea was tempting.

Poe and Finn’s apartment was quiet so she would have no one to talk to about the fiasco. She would drink down her anger and go to bed frustrated. It wouldn’t have been so terrible if she hadn’t allowed her mind to wonder how it would feel like to have someone to love and care about her. Ben didn’t seem capable of such feelings. In fact he didn’t seem capable of displaying feelings at all!

During all the time he sounded annoyingly distant, uncaring and then bluntly arrogant. He may have had several bad experiences with girls only interested in his money, but that didn’t give him the right to presume that she was one of those girls.

OK. She was penniless and had nothing to her name, but Rey was proud of her own effort to craft an independent life for herself. She loved working with cars and she was studying to reach for a better future. That said a lot about her character and her resilience. Rey was a fighter and nobody would ever make her few inferior because of her social rank.

Damn! She wanted to cry over the humiliation. She wanted to wash out the makeup and remove that fucking dress. In the end the sacrifice hadn’t be worthy. That whole night turned to be a disappointment she would rather forget about.

After a couple of beers Rey decided to call it a night and go to bed. She checked her cellphone one last time. There were no messages or missed calls. She didn’t know to say if that was a relief or yet another disappointment. Maybe the whole night had played too much with her insecurities and fears. Loneliness was starting to get heavy on her shoulders after all.

She only wanted to be loved. Was it wrong?

 

§§§§§§§§§§§

 

He remained at the restaurant a little longer staring at the entrance as if there was a chance of Rey coming back. His first impulse was to lash out and destroy everything in his path, but that was a public place and he wasn’t a child.

Ben asked for the bill and paid it as quickly as possible so he could vanish from that place and spare himself the humiliation of being rejected.

Was that even the right term? Rejection?!

He wasn’t interested in a relationship and he had meant for it to be some sort of business meeting. If only she wasn’t so beautiful as she waltzed her way to their table. If only her smile wasn’t so distracting. If only the Force in her didn’t feel familiar and inviting.

He froze. Simple like that. Even if a relationship was still something he would rather avoid, Ben couldn’t shake away the feeling that he needed that girl somehow. He needed to know her. Not even all the research in the world could give the details he desired. A dossier would never satisfy his curiosity.

Maybe Ben was just acting like a spoiled child for being denied a toy he didn’t even cared about at first. Maybe it was just his bruised ego over his creation’s failure, the bet with his father and the fact that he wouldn’t be taking that girl to meet his mother so Senator Leia could have a bit of hope to keep fighting.

He drove back to the apartment he had still to furnish. That place was as cold and impersonal as it’s owner. There was a holiness to the silence in there. It felt like a temple of sorts. A place where his loneliness was worshiped.

Ben checked his phone briefly. No messages or missed calls and why should it be any different?

Why had he acted like that? Even to his standards the lack of tact had been over the top. Why couldn’t he simply say that she was prettier than he had expected? Tell her that he was pleased to have her company instead of being petty about her delay. He could even tell her about his father and all the times he had sneaked into those cars to pretend that he was a professional racer when he was a kid.

No. He was just too afraid of revealing who he was. He had rejected his legacy over and over again for the sake of his pride in building his own name and fortune. Rey had nothing to do with that, but still he wanted her to know Ben, not Ben Skywalker-Solo. Letting her know his true name would feel a bit like cheating.

Cheating at what exactly? Seducing her? An orphan provincial girl from nowhere shouldn’t be a great challenge, but with his level of social skills Ben wasn’t that sure anymore.

Did he actually wanted that? Having another human being in his life, making time for a girl like her just for the pleasure of having her company for a brief moment? Suddenly the idea didn’t feel so bad.

He still had a bet to win, a mother to please and a point to prove. As for Rey...She should know better than to turn down a Skywalker man. She had just made the chase interesting.

 

§§§§§§§§

 

Saturday felt like a blessing for a change. It was her day off and staying at home was a luxury she would enjoy a bit longer. Maybe she would go to the carts with Poe and Finn later that day and burn her anger in the mean time.

Rey woke up and decided to take a long bath. Soaking in a bathtub for half an hour and taking care of her hair for a change was probably what she liked the most. After a long day of work or studies it felt like a reward.

Sweat pants and t-shirt were a big mood for her since the date fiasco. Rey had been avoiding her cellphone, but at some point she had to check it. There was nothing and to her despair she kept checking it every once in a while just to make sure he wouldn’t try to text her again.

Eventually Finn and Poe dropped by to check on her and hear all the details of her date. No surprise that they were shocked at her description of it. Every time she thought about it she would get angry beyond imagination.

“You can’t be serious!” Finn insisted. “It’s impossible for someone to be that obnoxious!”

“Apparently not. That guys was just...I don’t even have words to describe it.” She growled out of rage and frustration. “Can you believe it?! That entitled piece of shit!”

“That’s a shame. He seemed so promising.” Poe added before having a large gulp from his beer. “He is not the only man in this town, you know? We will find you someone decent, won’t we? Finn?”

“Absolutely!” Finn agreed mindlessly.

“By the way...Solo isn’t available for interviews right now. His wife, or ex wife, she is going through breast cancer treatment and the man is completely at her disposal.” Poe said apologetically. That wasn’t even a surprise. It was nearly impossible to talk to Han Solo and Rey was pretty sure that she was aiming too high. She would probably die as a mechanic.

“I guess I’ll have to wait. I know all about waiting anyway.” She sighed.

“You would like Senator Leia. She is one of those persons worthy knowing in the world. I hope she gets better soon.” Poe added.

“I read something about her. Quite impressive, I must say.” Rey agreed without much enthusiasm with the conversation.

“Have you checked the app again? Maybe you should give it a second chance.” Finn suggested since her mood wasn’t improving.

She wasn’t really interested in the candidates she might find. Ben’s words kept coming to here mind like an annoying echo. _I thought that my financial situation might make me a more attractive option to you, if you were to decide between...Suitors, for lack of a better word..._ _Y_ _ou are quite attractive and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to notice that._

Was that his way of trying to say that she was attractive? Was he trying to compliment her at all or he simply wanted to reinforce the fact that she didn’t belong to his world and the only possible reason for them to ever get involved was his money? Did he thought that she was some sort of prostitute? That was outrageous!

She would never know, would she? Hopefully Rey would never have to face him again.

“I think I’m fine on my own for now.” Rey replied. “I doubt that I’ll find someone online and last night kind of proved that.”

“I just don’t get why the two of you were paired together by the algorithm. This shit is real and the first tests have been quite impressive. I simply don’t get what went wrong.” Finn seemed to be as frustrate as she was.

“Never mind, Finn. That guy was an ass and I doubt there’s an app capable of predicting such a thing.” Rey added. “We can check it again, but I’ll only do it for the laugh. There are some pretty freak creatures there.”

Rey picked her phone and checked it briefly. She was sure that nothing good would ever come from that damn app and apparently….She was right.

“He sent a message!” She shouted in disbelief. “The nerve!”

“What does he say?” Finn and Poe asked in unison.

Rey wasn’t sure if she really wanted to read that, but since her friends wouldn’t stop looking at her with eager eyes she finally opened the text.

_I have no words to describe my stupidity and at this point I can only presume that you no longer have any interest in my person._ _I haven’t dated anyone in a long time and at this point I must have lost all sense of tact and basic human interaction._

_I have no excuses for my behavior, except that you_ _r_ _minor delay played with my own insecurities. It wasn’t my intention to offend you in any way,_ _but words seemed to fail me as I tried to engage in a civilized conversation without sounding either too eager or too intimate_ _._

_You looked beautiful last night and I should have said that instead of...All those things._ _You are under no obligation to forgive my poor behavior, but I still believe that getting to know you would be a privilege and a pleasure. We have a ridiculously high level of compatibility to ignore._

_B_ _egging is something I don’t usually do, but that seems to be an adequate occasion to appeal to it. Please... Give me a second chance so I can prove you that I’m more than a cold and arrogant creature._

Rey finished the text and looked at Finn and Poe waiting for their reactions.

“Does he really talk like that?” Finn asked first.

“Like what?” She looked at them in confusion before rereading that damn text a dozen times in silence.

“Like he came out of a Jane Austen novel. Geez! He sounds like my grandfather!” Poe added.

“Yes, he does. It isn’t that bad. His voice tone makes it charming when he is not insulting someone and being a complete asshole.” Her voice came out harsh and bitter. She still wanted to punch his jaw.

“At least he recognizes it and tried to apologize.” Finn suggested as if Rey could possibly consider giving Ben a second chance after that dinner.

“Will you give him a second chance?” Poe asked with caution.

“Definitely not. I’m not even answering this text. I have to admit that he has some nerve to send me this after last night.”

“Can’t say that I disagree. I’d probably do the same.” Poe nodded in approval.

She went to bed that night perfectly content with her decision. It felt like justice and revenge to ignore that message and let Ben in the dark. He simply wasn’t worthy of her time or consideration, not after insulting her like that. He deserved to be tortured by the memory of that dinner and how he had screwed up everything.

What Rey hadn’t considered was the tiny fact that it wasn’t in Ben to give up a fight that easily.

 

§§§§§§§§§§§§§

 

 

He had waited patiently for an answer that never came. Here he thought that Rey had a forgiving nature, but her sweet face concealed an adamant conviction. She wouldn’t answer and she wouldn’t listen to what he had to say. Ben could only admire her for that since he deserved the cold indifference.

Poor girl...If only Rey knew how excited he was about that game now that she had turned it in such a fun experience.

A week without any sort of communication. Ben simply had to do something about that.

Going to her university and try to find her among all those students was a terrible idea and not practical at all. Besides they hadn’t talked about her classes or anything related to her studies. Looking like a stalker wasn’t an option.

She was a mechanic for The Falcons and that could only work in his favor. It’s not as if anyone would try to prevent him from getting into the garage. He could surprise her after work and try to have a decent conversation. His father wouldn’t be there to make his life difficult or embarrass him for a change.

That sounded like a good plan, but he needed something more if he wanted to make emends and get a second chance. A present sounded like a good idea, but it shouldn’t be anything too expensive so Rey wouldn’t feel offended again.

Flowers sounded like a good idea. His only idea actually. Ben didn’t know if she liked flowers, but he would be bold about it. Roses seemed to be too obvious, so he picked a small bouquet with a mix of carnations in different colors and daisies.

In which concerned his looks, Ben decided to get out of his comfort zone and try something other than a black suit and tie. He only wore jeans when he was visiting his parents or working at home. A navy blue shirt with long sleeves and jacket seemed to make him less intimidating and a bit more accessible. The glasses were the cherry on top. He looked like a fucking nerd.

Ben showed up at the garage after confirming with the staff if Rey was working that day. Plut said she wouldn’t be leaving any time soon with all the work the had to do before the next race.

He showed up at the garage and that was a very nostalgic experience. He used to go there when he was a child to pester the mechanics and the rest of the staff until Chewie would show up and give him some treats or simply let him into one of the cars so Ben could pretend to be a racer.

It felt like a bittersweet irony that fate would take him to that place again. Rey seemed to be connected to him by several fortunate coincidences. In a way she was like an accident waiting to happen. A tiny piece of glass waiting for him to step on it and bleed.

It wouldn’t be long until they closed the garage and Rey would see him standing there with a bouquet of daisies and carnations in hand, almost begging for a second chance.

As expected he saw her getting out of the garage. What he didn’t expected was for a young and handsome young man to follow here as they chatted and laughed together.

How foolish of him to thing that a girl like Rey wouldn’t be noticed by other guys. He simply didn’t expect it to be so explicit.

Ben recognized the guy. It was his father’s new shooting star, or so he would be once the season was over. Poe Dameron was indeed a hell of a racer and it was common knowledge that he was the ladies’ favorite. That was a level of competition that Ben hadn’t anticipated.

Rey turned her face in Ben’s direction. She was a Force Sensitive after all. There was no way of her not noticing his presence there. Rey seemed to get tense once she saw him standing there with a bouquet in hands and looking like a nerdy utter fool. Talk about humiliation and bad timing.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” Ben heard the other man asking her.

“No need. I better deal with it now. See you later.” She answered him. Wait! Later where?! Were they dating or having some sordid affair? Why Dameron has never been mentioned in his research about Rey?

Those questions were rather pointless once Dameron got inside his car and vanished. Rey stood there looking at him with a sour face. Ben supposed that she was within her rights to be mad at him, especially when he was acting like a perfect stalker. No matter what he did it always seemed to paint him in the wrong light.

“What are you doing here? Are you following me?!” She asked angrily as she walked his way.

“No, I wasn’t.” Ben answered soberly. “You said that you worked here and it happens that I already knew the place.” 

“That doesn’t answer my first question. What are you doing here?” She repeated with a fierce expression on her face.

“Since you wouldn’t reply to my message, I thought this was the only way for me to speak to you properly.” Ben answered as he felt the embarrassment taking over him.

“There’s a reason why I didn’t answer you and you should have taken the hint. I don’t want to see you again. In fact, I want nothing to do with you.” Her tone was sharp and decisive.

“You have every right to do so. As I said in my message...I have no excuses other than my total lack of talent to these little rituals and stages of a relationship. I’m rather blunt and pragmatic. When you arrived at the restaurant I...I simply didn’t know what to do. I wanted to impress you, I guess.”

“By being a complete asshole, for lack of a better word.” Rey replied acidly. “Apologies accepted, but I still want nothing to do with you. You are blunt and pragmatic. Fine. So am I. Let me break it to you. I have no family since I can remember. I grew up in foster homes and governmental facilities for orphans until I was old enough to get kicked out. I was a good student and that helped me to get scholarships and I would do any sort of work that could help me survive without selling my dignity. So...If you are going to pull the ‘I’m a poor rich boy who is forever afraid of women that come after me for my money’, save it to yourself. I didn’t get in that app to find a rich guy I could explore. I don’t want a sugar daddy to pay my bills. I enter that app because...I don’t know. Maybe I was trying to find a decent guy, with similar goals and interest in life so we could have a nice relationship. Maybe even start a family of my own. I entered that app because my friends said that was the whole purpose of Force Bond. I looked to your profile, your pics and I thought that you might be the one I was looking for. You sounded intelligent, your bio was interesting and you seemed to be my perfect match, but I don’t see how I could possibly like someone as arrogant, snobbish and cold as you.”

“I am sorry to frustrate your expectations. It wasn’t my idea to imply that you were solely interested in money.” Ben said as he felt his ears burning. “You told me your reasons to test that app so...Allow me to tell you mine.” He shrank his shoulders a little before looking straightly to here. “I hadn’t talked to my parents in ten years or so. I told you that I came back to town for work and personal issues and that’s true. My mother is currently fighting a breast cancer and that brought me back home and forced me to work on relationships that I thought to be ruined for good. This kind of thing puts your life in perspective. t I’ve been living on my own for a long time now. I’m tired of it and I decided to do something about this emptiness in my life. Casual dates and easy sex were fine during college, but now I want something more...Permanent. I don’t usually let people into my life. You entered that restaurant and I felt something. I felt like...Like I needed you in my life for reasons that I don’t know or understand. That’s why I’m here like a pathetic fool asking for a second chance.”

Ben was honestly impressed by his little speech. He had never been so open about his family drama before and that felt a bit odd, especially when he was using it to manipulate that girl. Well...He wasn’t that vile. Nothing of that was a lie and at that point if he wasn’t bothered by the idea of a relationship anymore.

Rey looked at him carefully for a while as if she was deciding if she should believe in him or not.

“I’m sorry about your mother. This must be very difficult indeed.” Rey answered in a way more gentle tone. “All these you’ve just said explains your actions, but doesn’t give you the right to mistreat me like that. If you had been that honest with me from the start I would probably be dreaming of a second date. Now I just don’t know what I should do about you. I’m not even sure if I want to know you at all.”

“I’m boring and annoying most of the time. I’m sure my employees curse me behind my back. If you are going to look for rational reasons to get to know me, I’m sorry. You won’t find any.” He answered as a matter of fact. “If by any chance you are curious about why we were matched with such a high level of compatibility, than...I think it could be a delightful adventure.” He offered her the bouquet and got dazzled by her blushed cheeks. “These are for you.”

Rey accepted the flowers and looked at them with fondness. She smelled them and touched the delicate petals with reverence.

“How did you know that I love carnations?” She asked with a gentle curiosity. At that Ben couldn’t help smiling shyly.

“I didn’t. I just thought...They suited you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flowers' Meanings:  
> Carnations - White carnations suggest pure love and good luck, light red symbolizes admiration, while dark red represents deep love and affection. Purple carnations imply capriciousness, and pink carnations carry the greatest significance, beginning with the belief that they first appeared on earth from the Virgin Mary's tears – making them the symbol of a mother's undying love.  
> Daisies - Innocence, especially with white daisies with yellow or pale centers. Purity – also shown by daisies that are as white as possible. New beginnings, which is why they are often found in bouquets for new mothers or as gifts for children. True love – because each daisy flower is really two flowers blended together in harmony. That the sender can keep a secret. Keeping a secret is one way a person can exhibit that they truly love another.  
> I hope you'll like it and reviews are highly appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Ben had his confidence renewed once Rey accepted the flowers and warmed up to the idea of giving him a second chance. It had been a fortunate coincidence that he picked her favorite flowers, but he couldn’t help feeling proud of himself for doing so. He had yet to decide what he would do now in order to keep her interested in dating him.

“Is this a bad time for a chat?” He asked cautiously. The garage had already been closed and there was no one else expecting her.

“Not really, but I’m tired so...I don’t think I’ll be a great company at this point.” Rey answered with uncertainty as she shrank her shoulders a bit. She wasn’t certain about her decision yet and that was understandable. Ben doubted he would feel any different if roles where reversed.

“You will still be a better company that I am.” He teased trying to ease the tension. Of course he wanted to kick himself for being so stupid near a pretty girl. “I believe you must be hungry.”

“I’m not dressed to go to a fancy restaurant.” Rey answered with a discreet smile. That was an improvement.

“I was thinking about something less ceremonious like a decent food truck or Chinese food. I know a good place and it’s no too far.” He suggested carefully. “I’ll understand if you say that you need more time to decide if you should give me a second chance or not. You don’t need to worry about this.”

“No. That’s fine. I’m starving and Chinese sounds great.” She said awkwardly as she tried to smile at him. “I just need to text Poe so he won’t be worried.”

“Under the risk of sounding terribly inappropriate…Is this Poe anything to you?” Oh that was such a stupid question to ask, but he simply couldn’t help it. To compete with that guy was kind of pointless when Poe Fucking Perfect Hair Dameron was the ladies’ favorite. For some reason Rey found that question hilarious.

“You mean...Me and Poe...No.” She couldn’t stop giggling and suddenly Ben felt even more stupid. “Poe is my neighbor whenever he is not out of town for a race. I take care of his dog when he travels. Let us say he is something like an older cousin or brother, the closest thing to a family that I have here.”

“Ok. I think I get it.” Ben nod. She was a young woman living on her own. Having a male friend checking on her security every now and then was probably something that made her feel at ease, he supposed. “By all means text him. It’s a good thing to have a friend to check on your safety.”

Her smile grew larger once he remained cool with his own insecurities about a potential rival. Ben refused to play the role of the irrational alpha trying to piss everywhere, although he wouldn’t mind if Poe suddenly had his face deformed by an accident. Rey didn’t need to know this side of his personality just yet though.

Rey sent her said friend a brief message and Ben could only imagined that his reputation among her acquaintances wasn’t exactly a good one. It was understandable and he had no one to blame but himself for the lack of tact and politeness.

Money wouldn’t impress her, so he would have to go for the difficult path. He would have to actually open up to someone and just the thought of it was scary as fuck.

“Now we can go.” She said while putting her cellphone back in her purse and looking at him with a sympathetic smile.

Ben nod in agreement before leading the way to his car.

Since he moved back to Washington he had been trying to avoid attention, so even his passion for fast cars had been kept to a less extravagant level. The black Camaro SS was a way to keep the speed and still pass by without causing much of a fuss, but his father would die saying that the car was a piece of junk.

He opened the door for Rey, following his mother’s old etiquette book. Senator Leia would be proud if she could see him like a proper gentleman for a change, instead of a cold, sarcastic and annoying prick.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you liked cars.” Rey pointed as she checked the car with the eyes of a specialist.

“I’m trying to adjust to this one yet, but so far I have nothing to complain about.” Ben said as he sat on the driver’s seat and put his belt on. “My father says it’s just a pretentious piece of junk, but he is old school about these things. Wouldn’t give up a Ford no matter what.”

Rey laughed at it.

“Well...It certainly is pretentious to walk around the city in one of these, but I guess it suits you well.” She teased him while still holding to her bouquet carefully. Ben smirked at her sarcasm. She had a sense of humor. That was a good thing.

“Which one you use for the training?” He asked as he turned on the engine.

“Poe’s old Fusion, but soon I’ll have to adjust to something else.” Rey closed her eyes to listen to the sound of the motor for a second. “This is music.”

“Yeah. I heard it’s being replaced this year. The fuel efficiency was a major problem in that one. I hope they fix it for the next season.” Ben agreed. “Is Dameron helping you with your plan of being a professional?”

“Well...Yes. I had his private car adapt to be as close as possible to the one he used last season, so...He trains me every now and then. He is helping me a great deal in the team and maybe he will get me one test with Solo.” Ben couldn’t help grinning at the idea of Rey interacting with his father. It should be a funny experience to say the least.

“I bet it’s being nearly impossible to talk with the guy.” Ben suggested and Rey rolled her eyes.

“You have no idea. I guess it would be easier to talk to the Queen of England.” At least with that Ben could help her, but he doubted that Rey would ever thank him for pushing his father to give her a chance. She seemed to be quite proud of her own career. Just the fact that she had been accepted in the garage proved that she was competent in her work. Of course racing was a totally different thing.

Ben himself gave up the idea of becoming a professional during his teens and that nearly killed the old man. He had been prepared to carry on the Solo legacy since he could remember. He wasn’t interested in being his father’s heir behind the wheel, or his mother’s successor in politics. He would rather craft a name for himself in something he was actually good at.

“Persistence and patience are virtues in this business. You’ll get there. I’m sure of it.” Ben relied trying to sound optimistic. She would get a chance with the old Han Solo. He would make sure of it and Senator Leia would be more than pleased to help him in that.

They remained quiet for a while, just listening to whatever was playing on the radio as he drove to his favorite Chinese restaurant in town.

The New Dynasty was indeed a small and discreet place, not at all fancy or famous. It was just a familiar restaurant to get good Chinese food, especially during late hours. Rey seemed relieved by the simplicity of it and soon he noticed her shoulders relaxing.

“I really like this place. Great food.” He said as they picked a table to sit.

“I love the fact that I don’t need to wear hills here.” She said with a shy smile.

“I’ll remember this.” He lowered his gaze for a second. Well...That seemed to be moving quite smoothly for a change.

They ordered their meals and there was a bit of meaningless chat about the restaurant. Ben tried to be as talkative and open minded as possible. Apparently Rey didn’t have many friends in town and with her job and studies there wasn’t much time for a social life. That was something he could relate to. His family alone consumed most of his free time and with his mother’s treatment still on going there was a possibility that Senator Leia would need him more than never in the following months.

“If you don’t mind me asking...Why are you using this app?” Rey seemed embarrassed about that question, but Ben thought it was a reasonable curiosity. “You don’t look like someone who believes in finding love online.”

Ben smirked at her bold observation. It was a very good question indeed, but he wasn’t sure about how much he should tell her.

“What kind of business man I would be if I wasn’t willing to test my own creation?” He replied as a matter of fact.

Her beautiful hazel eyes widened suddenly in shock and surprise. Rey opened and closed her mouth a few times before putting in words her incredulity.

“You are kidding.” She decided. “First Order belongs to a guy named Kylo Ren.”

“Yes. That’s the name I chose to identify myself. I like having a discreet life style and my family kind of makes it almost impossible.” He said cautiously.

“Why?” She was still incredulous and Ben found her confused expression to be quite charming.

“They are kind of famous in their own business. In my teens I had some problems dealing with it and let us say that I went through a very self-destructive phase. Had some problems with the police too. Once I went to college and figured out what I was really good at I decided that I wanted to create something for myself. Something not related to my family, but as long as people knew my name it would be somewhat difficult.”

“You know that you are making me curious, right?” She asked between giggles. “Will you tell me your real name or what?”

“I’m not telling you. Not yet.” He replied with a playful grin.

Once their meals arrived they got a bit distracted with the food for a while. The subject was put to rest as they ate. That girl had a bit of an appetite and it was kind of amusing to date a woman that wasn’t embarrassed about eating near him. She seemed so pleased with her chicken curry that Ben couldn’t help admiring her happiness.

“I guess you liked the food.” He pointed before giving the spring roll a generous bite.

“You were right. This is really good! I wonder if I’m withing their delivery area.” She said. “So...Since you are not telling me your real name, I would like if you explained me something.”

“Go one. I’ll do my best to satisfy your curiosity.”

“Calligraphy?” She asked in a funny and teasing way. Oh that had been his mother’s doing! “What sort of hobby is that?!”

“Not a very good one for sure.” He smiled at her shyly. “As I said...Self-destructive phase, teenager angst, anger issues...My parents sent me to some sort hippie camp based in the Force Religion so I would learn to deal with all this. I’m not exactly good with meditation, but...Calligraphy was sort of relaxing. I also draw a bit, which helps with the design part of my job.”

“Meditation is the worst. I never get to concentrate for more than two minutes.” She said with a wide smile on her face. He would consider that his greatest achievement of the night.

“Now that you know almost everything that’s relevant about me, would you mind if I asked the questions?” He asked with politely as a suddenly flurry took over his stomach.

“Go ahead. I’m an open book.” She replied and he noticed she had the cutest dimples in her cheeks.

“Why someone as pretty and charming as yourself would need an app to find a date?” He asked with genuine curiosity and Rey blushed beautifully. “This is kind of unbelievable.”

“How come that you went from a total idiot to a perfect gentleman in a matter of days?” She asked while laughing nervously.

“No. I make the questions now.” He smirked at her with absolute satisfaction.

“Well...As I told you, I don’t have many friends in town and my social life is nonexistent. A friend of mine convinced me to use the app.” She said simply. “I’ve always thought these things to be kind of superficial and meant for people looking for easy sex. He insisted that this one was different.”

“I will assume that easy sex isn’t an option then.” He simply couldn’t resist the perfect opportunity to tease her just to see Rey flush.

“What the…?! Here I thought you suddenly had become a gentleman.” She answered with absolute embarrassment.

“I’m just teasing you.” He laughed lightly. “Your friend wasn’t wrong. I didn’t create it to be a one night stand kind of app. I still find the idea that you needed it at all unsettling though.”

“I don’t have the time to go around looking for someone just to find out that the guy either is a complete idiot or doesn’t have anything in common with me.”

Force All Mighty...Not even in his wildest dreams he would have imagined that the app would work so well. That was it. He was the world’s new match maker and the most shocking thing was that he had been his own victim.

Ben had started that little adventure just to please his mother, piss his father and prove a point. Actually like the girl he would date simply wasn’t part of the plan. If (and that was a huge if) he were to risk entering in a serious relationship Rey was a strong candidate to the “the one” position.

“Not that I haven’t acted like a complete idiot in our first date. Here I have to thank you for being so generous and giving me a second chance.”

“You were really a complete asshole. I don’t even know why I gave you a second chance.” She rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Because the Force is connecting us to the point of making me guess your favorite flowers. I also know where to find pretty good Chinese food, so...You’ll never be hungry on my watch.”

“You really have a terrific taste in Chinese food.” Rey agreed in a teasingly way. “I remember reading in your bio that you like to cook.”

“I do. Blame my self-imposed exile for this. The camp helped too.”

“What is your specialty?” Rey seemed quite interested in that. It gave him a perfect excuse for a bold move.

“Why don’t we go on a third date and I cook for you instead, Miss?” He asked.

“Don’t you think you are being too confident? I don’t even think this counts as a date.” Rey replied wittily. It was ridiculous how fast he was falling for her and those pretty eyes.

“Oh but it is a date and probably the most enjoyable one I ever had.” And that wasn’t even a lie. 

Rey was clever enough to change subjects at that moment. She was cautious and had a self-preservation instinct he could understand. She wouldn’t jump on his first offer nor was she convinced that he was worthy of her time, so Ben would have to work a bit harder to get that girl.

They finished their meal and Ben asked her to show him the way to her home. It was a small building near her college and in a quiet neighborhood. Seemed like a decent place for a student to live, but he wondered why someone like Poe Dameron would ever consider such a modest and frugal life. 

Ben escorted her to the building entrance as a proper gentleman should while considering if kissing her would be appropriated.

“Thank you for the ride home, the flowers and the food.” Rey said politely while holding the bouquet closely to her chest. That was quite an obvious barer to any advance he might try.

“You’re welcome. It was the least I could do to redeem myself. Thank you for the second chance and the delightful company.” She lowered the bouquet a bit and Ben decided that the world belonged to the brave and bold ones.

He kissed her cheek tenderly just to look at her blushing face once more.

“Just for you to know, I’m not giving up our third date yet.” He said. “Goodnight, Rey.”

“Goodnight, Ben.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll like it and reviews are highly appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

Rey could barely sleep that night. Her mind felt like a furious hurricane as she remembered every single moment of that night.

Not even in her wildest dreams Rey expected to find Ben again, let alone at her job. At first she had been a bit terrified of his sudden appearance. He could be one of those crazy stalkers or a psychopath. Poe must have thought the same since he and Finn waited for her to arrive before calling it a night.

In the end Ben was...Surprising. He seemed to be sorry about how their first date had turned to be and Rey thought the flowers to be a nice touch. He was really awkward in a preliminary analysis, but as their little dinner went on Rey found out that he was indeed an interesting person.

He was clever, family oriented, and also independent. He also had the most interesting sense of humor, although his usually sober face didn’t suggest it at first. There was one little thing bothering her and it was the matter of his “name”.

Rey didn’t believe his story about pseudonym and family issues getting on the way of his ambitions. If he was indeed the owner of First Order, Finn would be able to help her with that.

When Rey thought the night to be over and that everything would turn out to be just a pleasant dinner Ben kissed her cheek. It wasn’t the most scandalous thing he could have done, but the kiss wasn’t the kind you would give to a friend. It had been too long and too close to the corner of her mouth for Rey to ignore the intention behind it.

To her surprise Rey found herself laying in bed and thinking of Ben and the almost kiss. There was this unsettling feeling that she couldn’t quite name at the moment. She simply didn’t know if that kiss on her cheek had been an inconvenient, or if she wanted him to be even bolder and kiss her lips instead.

Maybe she should follow Finn and Poe’s suggestion and buy a red dress just in case Ben remained resolute about a third date.

 

§§§§§§§§§§

 

 

His week started in what could only be described as shocking after a whole weekend spent in high spirits.

Ben had agreed to escort his mother to a medical appointment on Monday. He had been trying to be present along her treatment and that usually provided him with a good excuse to have the most unusual and funny conversations with Senator Leia.

His mother had a great sense of humor even during her personal battle against the cancer. The doctors so far had been quite careful about their expectations toward the results of the treatment, but his mother was a fighter. Ben could only hope that she would make it through the whole thing although he was not an optimist person in nature.

He arrived at his mother’s home early in the morning since Leia didn’t like to get late. He didn’t bother to ring the door bell or knock the door when he had of copy of the keys.

Big mistake. Like HUGE. Not good at all. Terrible idea. Worthy of a lifetime trauma.

He walked all the way to the kitchen where he expected to find his old mother preparing some coffee. Indeed he found his old mother. In her night robes. Kissing his semi-naked father. In the kitchen.

“FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” He shouted while trying to cover his eyes and look away mortified at the fact that his father not only seemed to be in good shape but all quite happy to be kissing Leia.

“Ben?!” He heard his mother’s surprised tone while trying to put some distance between her and Han and trying to get decent. “I wasn’t expecting you so early in the morning!”

“Well...As far as I can see that was quite obvious.” He snapped back while still trying not to look at his parents. “What the hell is going on here?!”

“You are old enough to know what was going on here!” Han answered sarcastically while hiding behind his ex wife.

“Thank you for make things even worst, father!” Ben replied in total exasperation. “Since when this is happening?! Are you back together?! Why no one bothered to tell me?!”

“Calm down, dear. There’s nothing happening here.” Leia tried to sound sweet and careful, which was very unlike her.

“Say it for yourself, princess. There is a lot going on here and the kid should know about it.” Han replied in his usually sarcastic way except for the affectionate nickname Ben hadn’t heard in ages. ‘Princess’ was like...Big occasions or when his father was in a particularly good mood. “Your mother and I...Well...We got back together. It just happened. There was nothing planed.”

“Why…? Just happened?! Since I was in high school the two of you could barely stay in the same room without trying to shoot each other!”

“Now you are overreacting. We were never violent.” Leia tried to make it sound like a defense somehow. “Your father...Before you came back home Han was the one taking me to the doctor and he has been incredibly present ever since. It just...”

“Light up the old flame.” Han completed. “I was afraid. Ok?! Pretty much like you might have felt when you heard about the cancer and decided to come back home. Your mother needed me and I came. I stayed here whenever she had chemo so she wouldn’t be alone. Soon I was staying here everyday. It happens that...Sometimes big things must happen for a man to realize how stupid he has been.”

“And you expected me to just accept it.” Ben replied acidly.

“Yes, Ben. To be honest this is our decision to make, not yours.” This time it was his mother who answered bitterly. “Even if we were divorced, Han have always been a good friend. Now we got the chance of a reconciliation and I feel way happier than I have been in quite a long time. I finally have both of you back and this is giving me the strength I need to fight. This is not about you. It’s about me, Han and all the bad ideas we had during our marriage.”

“Including me, I suppose.” He replied bitterly.

“Hey hey! Don’t say shit like that to your mother!” Han intervened. “We may have screwed up a great deal of things and have many regrets about our marriage, but you were never one of them.”

“So why it have always felt like I was?” Ben questioned and every word had a bitter taste. “You know what? Whatever. I don’t care. I should just go and...I don’t know. You can take care of each other for now.”

Ben turned his back at them and went way without looking back.

He hadn’t felt so angry or so overwhelmed in quite a long time. All of it came back to him like a flood. All the loud arguments behind closed doors, the screams, the accusations and the day they decided to send him to his uncle’s camp months before the divorce.

Suddenly Ben felt like he was six-teen again. Angry, confused and prone to all sort of bad ideas he could possibly think at that age. It felt like nothing of that had ever happened. That all the angst, the confusion and the abandonment he felt back them meant nothing or simply never existed. It felt like...His father had never been relapse, absent and not interested at all.

It was early in the morning. Too early to call his therapist for an emergency session and he didn’t have friends around to call. He had no one to talk about that and it was the first time in quite a long while that Ben realized how lonely and empty his life was.

He drove aimlessly for a while. If he went to his office in such a mood he would probably fire his whole crew or killing Hux just for the pleasure of it. He needed coffee and probably a quite place to calm the hell down before he could consider working.

After a few minutes he found a Starbucks were he could grab some coffee and few miserable for half an hour. Once Ben parked the car he checked his cellphone just to make sure that nothing had happened during his absence.

To his utter surprise the only message he got was from Rey. He opened it immediately as he felt his heart sudden agitation.

“ _I know there’s this thing about playing cool after a date and pretending you are not so interested, but I don’t care. I just wanted you to know that I really liked our dinner and I don’t hate you. I hope you have a nice week.”_

That kind of unsettled him even more for some reason, but at least this time it wasn’t in a disastrous way. In fact just reading her message made him a bit calmer and less prone to kill someone in a fit for something stupid.

Ben took it as a sign or maybe just the Force acting in mysterious ways to tie him to that charming girl.

“ _Yeah...Me too. Are you terribly busy right now?”_ He texted her back and waited.

It didn’t take long for a reply.

“ _College, but I just found out that I don’t have the first class. Why?”_ He should probably include a confirmation of received in the next update for the app. That would make him way less anxious about waiting for her answer.

“ _Wanna grab some coffee? This is not a date. I promise.”_ This time it took a bit longer for a reply.

“ _Sure...I won’t be able to stay for long.”_ Fair enough.

“ _Address. Please.”_ Rey sent it immediately.

It took him about fifteen minutes to get to her college. She was waiting for him outside the building. Rey smiled brightly once she saw his car parked in front of the building.

She looked as pretty and radiant as ever while walking toward him in her jeans, cream blouse and leather jacket. For a second Ben realized he probably looked like a creepy stalker waiting for a girl to get out of her classes, but in his defense he could say that Rey had texted him first and everything so far had been strictly consensual.

He couldn’t be anymore grateful for her acceptance to his hushed invitation for a coffee. That was probably the only way for him to stay sane during that awkward day.

 

§§§§§§§§

 

Rey made sure that Poe and Finn would have all the answered they might wish for during the weekend. They were actually surprised about Ben’s sudden display of decency, but not enough to think him to be worthy of her time.

“I can’t say how the boss looks like. I work in the marketing department. I don’t really get in touch with Kylo Ren’s direct staff. It’s mostly Phasma and Hux screaming at me.” Finn said once she asked about Kylo Ren’s looks and if he knew anything about his real name. “I’ve always though Kylo Ren to be a pseudonym. It sounds too weird to be a real name.”

“It really is. Did he say anything about his parents at all?” Poe asked carefully.

“His father is a big fan of races, especially Ford cars. His mother has some health issues at the moment, that’s why he moved back to town.” Rey replied while trying to remember all the details of her date.

“FO’s office here isn’t exactly new. The company have always had some contracts with the government, but it’s true that Ren have recently moved to town to get a closer look to our projects here. I guess he doesn’t trust Hux that much, and honestly he has no reason to. Who the hell would name that app Force Bond and actually think it’s a good idea?! It sounds like a BDMS night club.” Finn said as he rolled his eyes. “Still not enough to believe that he is telling you the truth.”

“Yeah...So I thought. He doesn’t seem crazy or dangerous though. The night was surprisingly good and he was very charming. I really don’t know what happened for him to act like a complete douche during our first date, but he obviously made an effort to change my opinion about him.” Rey said. “I’m not really sure about what I should do now.”

“Be careful. That’s all I can say.” Poe answered as a matter of fact. “He might be telling you the truth or he might be a huge liar and a sociopath. We don’t know yet.”

That was a wise advice for sure and Rey was still considering what should be her next move in that. Of course that would be a matter she would solve in a more appropriate moment like...When he texted her again.

The thing is he didn’t text her after the dinner even though both of them had agreed that it had been a pretty good date. Maybe he wasn’t that interested in her? Maybe he was just a big fat liar playing with her emotions? Or maybe his mother got worst and died?!

That was terrible! He was probably dealing with some pretty stressful moment and she was feeling entitled to his attention! No...She was overreacting to his silence. He was probably just busy. Too busy to remember her name.

Those had been the sort of problems haunting her mind during weekend and it wasn’t in Rey to let others decide what she would do of her life. She had waited too long for a family that never came and she wouldn’t wait for Ben to make up his mind about her. She needed more information on him anyway.

That was the reason why she texted him on her way to college. Rey had no expectations of him answering her message so early in the morning. If she got an answer at all it would probably be late in the afternoon. She simply never considered that he could answer her that fast.

“ _Yeah...Me too. Are you terribly busy right now?”_ If receiving a message at all was something surprising, the idea of being invited for a coffee had never crossed her mind.

To her utter joy her first class had been canceled so coffee sounded like a good idea. In fifteen minutes Ben arrived in his black Camaro, just to make sure that everyone passing by would know that she was dating a guy that never knew how discretion looked like.

Rey entered the black car and smiled at him before saying anything. For some reason he didn’t look like someone willing to talk at all.

“I’m glad you accepted my invitation in such a short notice.” He said in a discouraged tone.

“Coffee sounds like a great idea right now. I’m a bit sleepy still.” Rey answered kindly.

“Is there a coffee shop near by?” Ben asked “I don’t want you to get late for your class.”

“There’s a good place two blocks from here.” She said

They arrived at the coffee shop in no time, but most part of the way they remained silent.

Rey would look at him carefully every now and then, as if she could figured out what was going on inside his mind. He seemed upset about something but Rey doubted it had anything to do with her or her text. His hand was a bit shaky and his bottom lip trembled as if he was trying hard not to cry.

They ordered coffee and something to eat before finding a table. His silence was starting to bother her to no end.

“Is everything alright with you?” Rey finally broke the silence. Ben sipped his coffee for a long second before summoning the courage to speak.

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” He answered briefly. “How was your weekend? I should have texted you, but I really don’t know how long I should wait to do so without sounding like a stalker.”

“My weekend was just fine and I don’t believe you when you say that you are fine.” Rey answered. “You look like someone about to have a break down.”

“It’s nothing. Just a silly thing really.” He insisted. “I don’t want to bother you with that.”

“You invited me for coffee on a Monday morning. We barely know each other, but this sounds like someone in need of a talk.” Rey insisted with a gentle tone. “Is it about your mother? Is she alright?”

“Yes...I has to do with her, but not in the way you think.” He took a deep breath. “It’s not related with her health, I mean.”

“So...What is it? You don’t really have to give me details if you don’t want to, but...Talking about it might relieve you from this obvious distress.”

“You sound like my therapist and I’ll sound like an idiot if I tell you.” He closed his hand in a fist as if the gesture helped him to control his emotions.

“You can’t possibly sound any more idiot than you did during our first date. That was the worst first impression ever so I can’t really have a lower opinion of you.” She tried to make it sound like a joke, but Ben seemed to be about to crumbled down. “Go on. Just tell me.”

“I just...I went to my mother’s house this morning. I was supposed to take her to a medical appointment today.” He took a deep breath. “This is so stupid!...When I arrived there I couch her in the kitchen with this guy.” 

“So...You feel that you are being replaced by her new boyfriend?” Rey tried to guess. That was pretty much Freudian shit and it was kind of weird to have that conversation with him. Sounded way too personal and inappropriate somehow.

“Her new boyfriend isn’t exactly new.” Ben let a short and sarcastic laugh escape. “It’s my father.”

“Isn’t it like...A good thing?” Rey questioned it as matter of fact.

“I guess so...That’s why it’s stupid of me to react like this.” He answered bitterly. “They have been divorced for over a decade and the memories I have of them being married aren’t exactly good ones. They were either arguing or avoiding each other. A few months after sending me to camp they got the divorce. That was when I lost it pretty bad back then. I went to college shortly after and that was when I distanced myself from this place.”

“What is bothering you about this exactly? You know...I just don’t get it.” Rey said. “They are adults and your mom is going through a hard time. It’s not bad that she has someone around taking care of her.”

“I know. She even told me that it was theirs decision to make, not mine.” He replied bitterly.

“And she is absolutely right about it.” Rey agreed with the woman she had never meet in her life. Ben looked at her as if she had betrayed him somehow. “Don’t look at me like this. You are not entitled to tell her how she should live her life, unless you tell me that your father is a total dick or abusive.”

“He is an asshole, but not abusive. She would have probably shoot him if that was the case. It’s just...It took me forever to accept it. To accept that my home had been torn apart and that it was all my fault somehow.” He shrank his shoulders a bit.

“Look...I don’t know much about families.” Rey said in a melancholic tone. “I don’t have one and it took me a long time to accept it too. My parents wouldn’t come back and if I wanted a family of my own or even some sort of belonging I would have to find it in my future, not my past. I can’t say that I understand what you are feeling right now. The concept is all too confuse for me. What I can say is that...I know how it is to feel lonely. I know how it is to feel that you have nowhere to go back to. What your parents are going through...It has nothing to do with you. In the past you might have being a complication in a marriage that already had problems to be solved. Now it is unfair to think that you are the one to be blamed in this somehow and even more unfair to try to prevent them to solve the problems they had.”

In a sudden impulse Rey covered his hand with her own in an attempt of reassuring him somehow. That probably took him by surprise for a moment, but Ben never tried to repel her touch. He simply held her hand instead. His soft and warm hands, his long fingers and his gentle touch...Who could have guessed that Ben, impressive as he could be at first sight, was so gentle and so easily hurt?

“I’m being even more unfair to throw all of this drama on your shoulders.” He said calmly. “I’m sorry if it brought you bad memories about...About your family.”

“I’ve cried about it long enough.” Her voice came out way sadder than she had expected. “Try to face things differently. You came back home, your father came back home...This sounds more like a second chance than a reason for you to be upset. You asked me to give you a second chance so you could prove that you were not a complete asshole and that’s what I’m doing. Why can’t you give your family a second chance as well? You might get surprised in the end.”

“I should probably pay you what I pay to my therapist. That piece of shit never made me calm down this fast, nor made me realize how much of a brat I’m being.” He let a short nervous laugh escape, but not her hand. “Thank you for your honesty. I...needed to hear this.”

“If you are throwing the ‘poor rich boy’ trope at me just to make me fall for you...You might want to review your plans.” Rey smiled at him teasingly. “I’m not much fond of soap operas.”

“If you are to fall for me it will probably be because of my pretty eyes.” His mood seemed to have improved.

“No...I don’t think it will work either.” She smirked at him.

“I’m really sorry about all this...Drama. It was highly inappropriate to involve you in this and you have no obligation to tell me about your family either.” He sighed.

“Don’t worry. I think it’s fine to look for a friend to talk when you are feeling down.” Rey held his hand a bit tighter. “I know a lonely soul when I see one. You are not alone, Ben.”

For the first time he seemed to relax. Their fingers entwined over the table in what could only be described as an intimate moment between them. Well...It felt good and Rey wouldn’t make excuses about that.

“Neither is you.” He replied gently. The sound of his voice and the touch of his hand made her believe that Ben had entered her life in an abrupt way and he wasn’t getting out of it any time soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter like...In hyperdrive speed. It's an emotional trip. Not sure if it worked in an organic way or if Ben's reasons to be so shaken felt realistic, but I wanted him and Rey to have a very personal and honest conversation. Also I wanted Leia and Han to have a second chance after being separated for so long.   
> I hope you'll like it and reviews are highly appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

That had been an extenuating day and Senator Leia still had mixed feeling about everything that happened.

Han remained by her side all the way long to her (their) house. Nothing seemed to disturb his good humor since they received the news. It didn’t matter that they still had to deal with Ben and his sudden tantrum.

Leia couldn’t even blame him for reacting so badly. Everything had happened so fast that the Senator could barely understand herself. If started with her diagnosis and her taking a break from her public career to take care of her health. Han came to her aid almost instantly, with a dozen different doctors and news about all the treatments available. It had been so good to have his familiar and comfortable presence near during those dark days that she never considered the consequences of it.

It had been Han the one to reach Ben and tell their son the news. She didn’t expect him to show up at her door, let alone moving back to town and making a real effort to be present in her life. His relationship with his father hadn’t change a single bit in the mean time, but at least they could remain in the same room over dinner without it turning into a bitter argument.

As for her...Leia knew that her stupid decision of sending him away to Luke had been a way to wash her hands about his troublesome years. Ben never dared to speak out loud about it, but she could still feel the bitterness in his words every now and then.

She should have never sent him away as she did, but there was no way to turn back time and correct the past mistakes.

“Tell me, princess! Where should we go for lunch? This calls for some sort of celebration for sure.” Han asked as he drove the car on their way home. Leia rolled her eyes at his surprising good mood.

“I’m happy about what the doctor said, but...After this morning I’m not in the mood for celebration.” She said with careful words. “I should call him or...I don’t know. How to handle your adult son when he is having a break down?”

“It’s not as if he had never done that before. I was surprised that he didn’t destroy anything on his way back to the car.” Han would simply Han about that...Like always. “He will come to terms with it. Ben is not stupid, you know.”

“He isn’t, but the Force knows he can be a ticking bomb at times.” Leia replied sadly. “I don’t want to lose him again. I don’t want to lose either of you.”

“I know.” Han gave her his usual all-time-fitting line only this time he sounded as heart broken as she. “Give him a couple of days to digest, then you call him to give the news and...Try to reason with him.”

“I should also call Luke.” Leia added.

“I’m not sure if inviting your brother into this mess would do us any good. Ben just came back home and we...We scared the hell out of him, no doubt. I’m happy though. He is still here and he seems way calmer.” Han tried to sound optimistic. “I think he might have a girlfriend behind his sudden improvement in anger management. How is that thing working? Did he find someone already?”

“I’m not sure. I think he is talking with a girl, but I don’t know anything about dating.” Leia replied soberly. “I hope he is.”

Leia and Han decided to stay at home and have a glass of wine to celebrate her treatment’s success. It had been a quiet afternoon spared watching movies and eating popcorn as if they were a teenage couple on their first date, but it lasted only for half an hour. Han started to snore half way through the movie and Leia moved to the other room to read her emails. Maybe she would go back to the Senate in a few weeks. She had to keep herself updated.

Her thoughts were never far from her son though. People would often talk about how most mothers felt guilty all the time no matter what they did. With Leia it was not different and the Force knew she had good reason to feel so.

She had tried to be a present mother, but all the elections won and her public life in constant ups and downs made it quite hard for her to be so. Ben would follow Han around when he was kid, holding the golden dices and saying he would be a racer like his father one day. During his early teens Ben started to follow her around for logistic purposes and he kind of had a talent for politics and what Leia used to call as aggressive diplomacy.

It had been her dream to have Ben running for congressman or maybe mayor, but her son had a mind and an ambition of his own. In the end he created his own business and his major client was the government. His walked among politicians as if he belonged there and Leia couldn’t help being proud of him.

If only he could forgive her for her poor choices. If only he could...Allow himself to be happy for a change.

Her cellphone rang loudly dragging her back to reality. Ben’s name was on the tiny screen and for a second she felt her heart tightening inside her chest.

“Hello.” She said carefully. “Ben?”

“I...I’m sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to know how was the appointment. What did the doctor say?” He asked soberly, but she could recognize a distinct tone of fear in his voice. She was suddenly relieved for his somewhat cordial tone. He didn’t sound angry, but maybe that was only his fear holding him back.

“Great news. Everything is fine and chemo is suspended. I’ll have to make regular check-ups, but Doctor Holdo said that this kind of tumor has little chance of coming back once it is removed.” She answered in a light tone. She heard his heavy breathing on the other side of the line.

“That’s...That’s really great.” He answered honestly. “I...I’m sorry for not being there and...For my poor behavior. You were right. It’s not my business to tell you how to live your life and better father than any other.”

“I should have told you before. I should have done a great deal differently.” She said with eyes full of tears. “I’m so happy for having you and your father back...I was afraid you would run away again.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I guess...I believe in second chances now.” He said in a rather funny way. Leia could almost see him smiling shyly on the other side. That was something unusual for sure.

“Does it have anything to do with a certain girl you found online?” Leia asked in a teasingly way that was likely to make Ben’s ears bright red.

“Sort of.” He confessed.

“Is she a nice girl? Have you taken her on a date yet?” Leia kept the questions coming for the sake of her furious curiosity.

“She is really nice and yes...I took her on a few dates although I made a fool of myself during the first one. She would be withing her right to ditch me without a second thought, but it happens that Rey has a very forgiving nature.” He said in a lighter humor. Whoever this girl was Leia already loved her. “In fact I had coffee with her this morning and she hit my head with a healthy amount of good sense.”

“Coffee on a Monday morning? This sounds promising! Should I hold a nice dinner here so you can bring her?” She knew those to be dangerous waters, but Leia had reached a certain age that she could afford being a bit reckless about her tongue.

“It’s probably too soon, but I’ll keep that in mind. I think you’ll like her.” Ben muffled a laugh on the other side. That girl deserved a medal already.

“Now you tell your old mother all the details of it. Did you have sex with her yet? I know this things go fast for your generation. Are you being safe?! Not that I would mind having grandchildren, but I would rather have a wedding first.”

“Mother...Even if I have had sex with her...I refuse to be that open with you. There is a distance I should keep from you for the sake of my mental health.” Leia laughed out loud at Ben’s utter mortification. “I’m pleased to see that I keep you entertained.”

“Well...At least the first kiss was a good one?” She insisted.

“I’m still working on it.”

“You are just like Han. You know...Your father is pretty fast inside a car, but when it comes to women and making a move he is as agile as a drunken snail. I still can’t believe that I had to make the first move or else you wouldn’t exist. Thank the Force it was the 80’s and sexual freedom was still a thing.”

“I know, mother. I’ll try to visit you tomorrow after work, but I can’t promise.” Ben made it clear that their chat had gone too far for him to handle.

“I’ll be waiting, dear. Have a good night.”

“Goodnight, Senator.”

 

§§§§§§§§§§

 

There was something bothering Poe Dameron and it wasn’t his car’s performance during the last race.

Finn had been trying to figure out who was this guy that Rey was dating and if Kylo Ren was in fact Ben. Of course there were limits for his little spy move, but it wasn’t exactly that what was bothering Poe.

When the said Ben came to the garage to wait for Rey, Dameron had the chance to look at his face briefly. The guy had a pretty common face. He could be just someone Poe had seen in the supermarket or anywhere else. There was nothing exactly remarkable about him except for the fact that he was tall. Still there was something familiar about the guy that he couldn’t quite name.

When Rey told them the Ben’s story about his complicated family issues and turbulent youth Poe was even more convict that he had heard something like that before, but again...He couldn’t remember where.

Anyway that was a mystery he would have to figure out in a more convenient moment. Solo was visiting his office at the garage that day and he had promised Rey to talk to the old man in her favor.

It was a bit absurd how much he was fond of the girl, but she was indeed a great neighbor and friend to both him and Finn. BeeBee also loved her so that kind of made her an unofficial family member, like a distant cousin or a sister. She was also freaking good mechanic and that only severed to his benefit during the competitions, but her dream was to become a racer and she also excelled at that.

The least he could do was to speak in her favor to Solo and hope the old man would open up to the idea of a female team. It wasn’t absurd. Most of the other teams had one and the girls were amazing. Rey should have the chance to shine.

He knocked the door carefully and waited for an authorization to enter the office. Han’s grumpy voice sounded hushed from the other side telling Poe to come in.

It had been months since he last saw the old man and although Han was no longer the young, charming and daring racer from his youth he was still vigorous and as active as he could be in the team.

“Dameron! How are you, kid? Is anything with the new car?” He asked immediately. He didn’t have much time to lose whenever he visited the office, especially since his ex wife got sick.

“I’m really sorry to interrupt you, sir. No, it’s not about the car.” Poe said in a bit anxious way. No matter his age, or if he worked for Solo for decades, the old man would always be one of his heroes. “I have something I need to ask.”

“Why do I have this feeling that I won’t like what you have to say?” Han questioned while looking at him bitterly. “If you came here to tell me that you received a better offer, I don’t even wanna hear. I cover it. No matter the price. I cover the offer and you stay with us.”

“No, sir. I would never think about it. It’s something else.” Poe smile grew wide with confidence. “I’ve been trying to talk to about it for a while now. Since the season just started, maybe it’s time to approach the matter so we have time to prepare it for the next one. We should consider a ladies’ team for the next season.”

“Here I thought you would tell me that you have been seen with your boyfriend around by paparazzi.” Han rolled his eyes. “That ain’t gonna happen, son. I know you must have a protegee of sorts, otherwise you wouldn’t be suggesting it, but...This things demand money and a great deal of meetings, small talk, and juggling to convince the sponsors that it’s a good idea. I know other teams have a feminine division and I have to say that I love to see a pretty woman racing as much as any other guy, but...Right now it’s a budget problem I can’t afford.”

“Would you at least give her a chance to show you her abilities?” Poe would try at least to grant Rey that. It wasn’t much, but it was all he could do for her at the moment.

“I don’t see why I should raise this girl’s expectations by doing so, but...” Han considered for a moment. “Fine. I’m in a good mood since Monday, so...Schedule a day and I’ll see your friend racing. Is she your girlfriend too? I’m confused.”

“Oh no! She is just a good friend and I think you’ll like her.” Poe smiled confidently. “Is everything fine with the Senator? How is she doing?”

“Great really. The doctor suspended chemo, the chances of the tumor coming back are low and that means my girl will get back to action pretty soon. Besides...I’m moving back home and even my son came back to town. I feel as if I had been given more blesses than I deserve, so...I should show my gratitude somehow.” Han seemed pretty content with his life and that was a relief. Poe had met Senator Leia a couple of times and he loved the hell out of that woman.

“Your son? I didn’t know he was back.” Poe pointed in an effort of being polite.

“He has business in town. I don’t really understand his work, but it’s something to do with computers and apps. It sounds like something smart. Ben have always been clever. Too clever to become a racer even if he had the talent and the name for it. He got it from his mother’s side, no doubt.”

“His name is Ben?” Poe couldn’t help the shock. That was it! He knew that there was something familiar about that story and that guy!

“Yes. Ben Solo. It’s a great name for a racer.” Han grabbed his wallet to show Poe a picture of Ben when he was a child. “He used to follow me everywhere at this age. Now we can barely stay in the same room...At least he is in good terms with his mother. So...Let us schedule a day for me to see your friend and what she can do.”

“Ok...I’ll do that. Thank you, sir.” Poe said gratefully before leaving the office. 

He couldn’t believe it...Was Rey’s boyfriend Ben Solo?! Like in Han’s ticking bomb of a son?!

 

§§§§§§§§§§§

 

“ _Just for you to know, I already apologized to my mother.”_ He was probably bored at work to think that Rey would even care about his family drama. Why should he even give her any sort of information on that? It was ridiculous.

“ _Good boy! I’ll send you the bill later.”_ Her answer came faster than he had anticipated and brought to his face the most stupid grin. What was going on with him?! What if someone entered his office and saw him like that?...As if his brain had melted inside his head.

“ _Why don’t we go out and have some fun_ _instead_ _?”_ He texted back. He had been planing to take her somewhere especial for quite a while now and it seemed like a good opportunity.

“ _Is this a date?”_ She asked back along with a suspicious emoji face.

“ _It is, but not a fancy one.”_ He answered. _“_ _Are you free on Sunday morning?”_

“ _I’m not awake on Sunday morning!”_ He couldn’t help laughing at it.

“ _Never thought you to be lazy.”_ He answered.

“ _One condition. You have to bring coffee.”_ That was easy enough and he could even picture her sleepy face once he got to her apartment. That thought brought some dangerous ideas to his mind like...How it would be to wake up with her in his bed?

“ _Deal! Dress something comfortable.”_

“ _My pjs.”_

“ _Not so comfortable. Jeans are better. 8 a.m., Sunday.”_

“ _I hate you!”_

“ _I know.”_ He regretted his choice of words as soon as he sent the message. He was sounding too much like his father.

The week passed and his occasional chats with Rey got more frequent and random. It was mostly them talking about something annoying that had happened during the day, or even asking weird questions that sounded like a test.

Ben had to admit that it was funny and even if nothing came from that experience at least Rey was someone he could call a friend.

Although he had been taking his time during the stages of modern courtship his mother’s endless curiosity had planted the seed of evil inside his mind. It made him feel curious too and that was a tricky thing to handle.

Of course he had tried to kiss Rey, but ended up choosing a safer path. Now he was starting to think that he should aim for the higher prize and he wasn’t thinking just about kisses. He wanted to pin Rey to his bed and do all sort of bad things with that girl that still smelled of innocence. Honestly...He felt like an old perv, but the idea of having her naked and breathless under his body was enough to make him ruin the result of several hours of work.

Ben could barely sleep on the eve of their date. He had been planning the whole thing meticulously all week and the thrill kept him wide awake over the night. Not that he was used to a full night of heavy sleep, but this time it was worst.

Sunday morning he got out of bed and after a shower and a not so careful choice of clothes he went to buy them coffee. He arrived at her apartment and called her so she could come out of the building.

“I’m here and I have coffee.” He said once she picked up the phone and said nothing.

“Have I told you that I hate you for doing this? This is torture!” She said with a lazy and sleepy voice.

“Yes, you have. Guess what? I don’t care. Come down and let’s do this, Miss.” He answered with usual sarcasm.

“It better be a huge cup.”

A few minutes later Rey got out of the building wearing sunglasses, a messy bun, jeans and t-shirt. That was good enough for what he had in mind and he doubted that she knew how it felt to be ugly. Everything was seemed to look good on her or maybe it was just him looking at that girl through pink glasses.

Rey entered the car in a semi-waken state.

“Good morning sunshine.” He said teasingly.

“I can’t deal with good-humored you right now. Go back to your usual broody self until I have caffeine in my system.” She answered.

“Fair enough. I also brought muffins. Maybe it will help your mood to improve.” Ben answered. “What have you done all night to be that sleepy?”

“Nothing really. It’s mostly some cleaning and laundry, but Sundays are my day off whenever we don’t have some emergency before a competition.” She said before grabbing a cup of coffee. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, but I think you’ll like it.” Ben grinned.

Rey drunk her coffee and ate her muffin while he drove all the way to his secret place. It didn’t take long for her to recognize the path, but her her eyes got really wide when she finally saw where he was parking.

He had been planing that for a while. It was something both of them loved to do and in a cart they would be somewhat in even conditions. He used to go there every Sunday whenever his father wasn’t traveling.

“I can’t believe you brought me to the carts.” She said in awe.

“Why? Are you afraid of a friendly competition? I haven’t been inside a cart in ages, but let’s see how good you are.”

“You are so screwed.” She answered with a wide smile. “Brace yourself, Ben. You are getting your ass kicked today.”

“We shall see, Miss.” He said with a sarcastic grin. “I wouldn’t be so confident if I were you. What do you think of gambling? It isn’t a competition if there’s no prize.”

“If I win, you have to let me test-drive your car.” She suggested.

“Ok. If I win...Let me see.” He looked at her with a hint of malice. “If I win, I want a kiss and it better be a good one.”

“Deal!” She said with conviction.

Poor Rey. She had no idea of where she was getting into. Losing a race was something he wasn’t used to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot going on in this chapter. I hope you'll like it and reviews are highly appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see the rating has been changed and the reason is this chapter. Smut ahead. You have been warned.

Rey dressed up the worn out suit and the balaclava over her head as Ben observed her from a safe distance. He was ready to get inside the cart and there was a certain gleam in his eyes. Those were the eyes of a hunter, a killer...Damn they were sexy!

It was a competition though and she was too good at racing to be beaten by that little brat. Ben had this inherent arrogance to him even when he tried to be pleasant and carefree. He never seemed to doubt her ability, but he didn’t recognize it either. It was about time for him to know the full extension of her ambitions and how far she had pushed herself in that game.

If he wanted a kiss he could have asked, but he chose to make it a competition instead. Rey wouldn’t really mind a bit of intimacy and boldness at that point. With the Force as her witness, she wanted it, but Ben was all too proper and prim about the stages of that...Thing they had. Now she simply couldn’t let him win. Her pride would never allow it.

She took the kart number two and try to adjust to it as Ben still observed her every movement. Rey put on the helmet and turned the ignition on just to fell the motor a bit. The sound was a noisy symphony to her ears and Rey could already feel the adrenaline taking over her system like a drug.

She checked on him. Ben had his kart perfectly aligned with hers and he had the cold and meticulous movements of an implacable competitor.

The flag was waved in front of them. It started.

It didn’t take long for Rey to realize that it wasn’t just his posture. Ben was indeed a killer. Curve after curve they kept taking turns between first and second position while other competitors remained far behind in the circuit. Ben was bold in his style. In fact he was possibly as good as Poe in one of his average days.

At some point Ben managed to impose a distance of a few seconds between them and Rey had little time to recover her position. At that point it felt like there was no way to change the scenario. Ben would win and there was nothing she could do about it.

_Force All Mighty...He can’t win. He simply can’t!_ Her mind screamed furious and almost instantly Rey heard a familiar noise.

Ben’s kart hit the barrier of tires at their last turn. She couldn’t say for sure what had happened, but given the sudden lost of control his tire must have stuck. Rey crossed the finish line laughing in disbelief inside her helmet while Ben got out of his kart cursing like a sailor. He was a terrible loser apparently.

She got out of the kart and removed her helmet and balaclava so she could breathe properly. Ben came to her with a sour face. She could almost see the steam getting out from his ears. He looked like someone who could actually choke someone to death in a fit of anger and she was likely his target at the moment.

“You are not only good. You are lucky as fuck!” He said angrily. “I just can’t believe it! At the last turn! I was about to win this and you know it.”

“I stop hearing after you said I was good.” She answered with smugness and sarcasm. It was like throwing gasoline into the fire, but she couldn’t help it.

“I can’t remember the last time I lost a kart race. I was probably...I don’t know. I was seven or so.” He said in disbelief. “Where did you learn how to drive like this?”

“My first job as a mechanic was in a place like this, so they let me drive every now and then. It happens that I got pretty good at it.” She tried hard not to laugh at his face, but it was almost impossible not to.

“You know that you only won because my tire nearly blew up, right? I was about to win.” Ben insisted and at that Rey lost it. She start laughing out like an idiot until she got breathless.

“I know...I know...” She said as she tried to recover her breath. “This...This things happen. Don’t be a sore loser. At least keep your dignity.”

“There will be a payback for this. You just wait and see.” He warned her and at this point even Ben was smiling. “I guess you’ll drive us on the way back.”

“It will be my pleasure.” She said confidently.

“You settle for so little.” He grinned blandly. “If it’s pleasure what you want, I have at least a dozen things in mind that would feel so much better.” That took her by surprise and for a second Rey was speechless.

She could feel all of her blood concentrating in her cheeks and ears, making Ben’s grin grow wider. The bastard!

“I’m not convinced you are worthy of my time.” She tried to recover her conviction of a champion, but it was just a pitiful attempt of ignoring that annoying voice inside her head that was saying _show me_.

Ben scratched his jaw for a while. His anger had vanished and what remained was simply their usual chemistry and the sexual tension surrounding them like the Force itself.

Rey climbed to the top of the podium and Ben just kept looking at her from a safe distance as he clapped his hands to salute her victory. Although he had been really pissed off at his sudden misfortune, the way he looked at her made it clear that he had already forgotten about that. He was more interested in undressing her with is hungry eyes.

“I’m curious. If you are not convinced yet, then why are we still having this little encounters every now and then? Why do you even answer my texts at all?” Ben asked as they walked back to his car once they decided that one race was more than enough. His face was sober and there was a delightful sarcastic tone to every word.

“Because you are persistent, to not say inconvenient. I kind of pity you.” She replied as a matter of fact without turning her face to look at him.

“Is that so?” He asked once they reached his car.

She should have sensed the change in his tone. Everything happened so fast that Rey barely had time to process it. His hand reached hers so Ben would have her total attention once she turned to face him. The next thing she felt was her back pressed against the side of his car as Ben leaned his head and claimed her lips in a hungry kiss.

His hands were gentle as they held her face. His lips were soft and Ben’s kiss was meticulous, implacable and demanding as Ben himself. It was also carrying and tender especially when his fingers brushed her nape and played with a lock of her hair.

Rey closed her eyes and allowed all those sensations to run through her veins. It felt like jumping from a cliff. Impulsive, exciting, dangerous even, and the only certainty was that there was no going back.

Ben parted the kiss, but his body remained pressed against hers as he caressed her face.

“You are right. I am persistent and inconvenient at times.” He agreed with fondness in his voice. “My intention was to win this kiss fair and square, but...Well. I really don’t mind playing dirty.”

 

§§§§§§§§

 

To the hell with that tire and that fucking kart. There was no way of him going back home without knowing exactly how it felt like to kiss her.

Rey was indeed a great racer and even if he managed to nearly beat her in the last turn the whole race had been nowhere near an easy challenge. If she drove a competition car as well as she drove a kart than her career surely had a great potential.

The whole thing had been his plan to have a good time with her that was supposed to end up in a kiss (maybe even something else if she felt up to it). The idea that he would go back home still wondering and dealing with his own frustration was unacceptable and Rey was in a particularly teasing mood that only served to raise the tension between them.

Ben wanted her. There was no reasonable explanation, no bet, no family, absolutely nothing justifying his actions except for the desperate need of knowing for sure if they shared yet another compatibility.

He had been bold in his move, maybe even blunt and unrefined, but Rey had teased him beyond the limits of his self-control. He dived into that kiss without thinking of consequences and like all the dual forces in the universe it seemed that they were meant to fit each other perfectly.

Ben was the one to part the kiss. He looked at her breathlessly for a moment. He caressed the rosy cheeks and wondered if there was a way back from that ridiculous notion that Rey was somehow meant to be with him.

He wasn’t romantic by any standards, but as that undefined relationship went on he felt like a satellite orbiting around her and willing to do all sorts of cliche moves like showing up at her work with a bouquet of flowers in hand begging her to forgive his stupidity. Was that how falling in love felt like? He couldn’t say. There was nothing in his previous life slightly similar to those multiple feelings.

“You are right. I am persistent and inconvenient at times.” Even his voice betrayed him by revealing the sort of control she had over him. “My intention was to win this kiss fair and square, but...Well. I really don’t mind playing dirty.”

Rey said nothing. She seemed to be speechless and slightly in shock. It made him wonder for a second if by any chance she had hated it or if he had been way too fast for her taste. That was ridiculous. It felt like he had never left his teens behind. To be honest...Who ever does?

Ben reached for the keys in his pocket and placed it in Rey’s hands.

“Here it is.” He tried not to sound disappointed, but that was nearly impossible.

Ben surrounded the car to sit on the passenger’s side while Rey took over the wheel. Why did he felt so stupid for kissing her and why didn’t she react at all? Had it been really that bad from her perspective?

They sat side by side in complete silence for a while. Ben didn’t knew what he could say to make it a bit less awkward. He refused to say that he was sorry about that kiss. It would be a blunt lie and at that point Rey should at least be aware of his intentions.

“This was...” She finally tried to speak her mind after the torturing silence, but words seemed to fail her as she tried to form a complete sentence.

“Inappropriate.” He completed her sentence although to word had a bitter taste to his mouth.

“Amazing was the word I was looking for, but if you feel this way than maybe I should do something about it.” She answered and it was impossible not to sense the provocative tone in her voice.

Ben looked straight at her in a mix of disbelief and hungry need as Rey’s hand touched his left knee and slowly slid up to his tight suggestively. That was all the encouragement he needed to pull to another ferocious kiss.

This time she answered it with equal disposition and enthusiasm. Slowly she found a way to straddle him on the passenger seat so they stood in a more comfortable position. 

His hands supported her back as Rey threw her arms around his neck. Her fingers running through his hair felt like a sensuous caress as her hips moved in a gentle sway, testing the limits of his self-control as the friction against his tight increased. Ben felt like a teenager again, making out with some random girl inside the Millenium when his parents were out of town for one reason or another.

His hands slid under her t-shirt, aiming for her bare skin and the gentle warmth of her body. He gave her neck an open mouth kiss and a provocative bite, making Rey gasp for air and pressed her body against his groin.

Ben allowed his right hand to roam south, dribbling the hem of her pants and underwear to reach for Rey’s slick folds. A savage growl escaped his throat as he felt how wet she were already and Ben took it upon himself to do something about her urgent needs.

His palm pressed her clit firmly as his index and middle finger dived into her wet cunt. Rey threw her head back, leaving her neck fully exposed to his mouth to spread kisses and teasing bites all over her skin. Her moans felt like music to his ears as Ben tried to keep his fingers moving in a constant pace, while fighting his own urges for release.

He worked her up all the way to a half satisfying orgasm. Rey kissed him furiously as Ben felt her muscled tightening around his fingers and her body shaking on top of his. He had passed the age of hushed sex inside cars and all the contortionism required. No...If they were going to cross all lines he would at least have a decent bed and the privacy of a room, but at least there was no way of Rey changing her mind at that point.

“Maybe we should finish this somewhere discreet.” His low and husky voice suggested close to her ear while Rey still had a hard time recovering her breath. 

“Your place or mine?” Rey asked breathlessly.

“Mine is closer.” Ben answered. “Should I drive, or you can managed it still?”

“I’m faster.” She teased. “You just give me the directions.”

 

§§§§§§§§§§§§§

 

Rey barely noticed the traffic signs on the way. Ben would indicate the way to his apartment while his hand kept sliding up and down her tight, making it almost impossible for her to remain focused. Somewhere in the back of her mind Rey remembered Poe saying something about desperate women in need of sex. Well...That was basically her at the moment.

Ben had been devious in his kisses and skilled ministration. She needed more. She needed the whole thing and he seemed more than willing to oblige her desires.

“It’s here.” He said once they reached a modern and fancy building in an expensive neighborhood. It was one of those building with all the facilities one could wish, but Rey doubted he had ever had the curiosity to enjoy the place.

The place had a garage and they had been lucky enough to not find anyone inside the elevator. Not that Ben had tried to make any move, probably given the security cameras, but they both looked like a total mess. The silence between them was awkward and heavy with tension and anticipation. The air around them felt static, as if a storm was about to start.

They reached the cover floor and Ben lead the way to his apartment. He opened the door in a swift and precise movement. Once they entered the apartment Rey heard the door closing behind her and before she could register anything about the place Ben’s lips were already covering hers.

It was a bit of a messy event. Both of them being led by hormones and lust like a couple of teenagers. Hands roaming all over, avid kisses, breathless moans and pieces of clothes falling along the way to Ben’s bedroom.

Ben swapped her from the floor and Rey wrapped his waist with her legs as her arms remained around his neck. He carried her blindly to his bedroom without letting go of her lips. His arms were impossibly strong as he lifted her without effort.

Rey felt the soft surface of the mattress pressed against her back once Ben laid her on his bed. His eyes were dark with lust and need as he looked at her naked body. Only her underwear remained at that point, but not for long if he had any say in it.

His long and agile fingers unclasped her bra, finally exposing her breasts. He cupped her left breast with his large hand before taking her nipple into his mouth. His tongue circling her nipple sensuously before sucking it vigorously. Her nails sank in his exposed back, leaving vivid red marks all over his pale skin.

He looked up for a second with a mischievous grin on his lips. Ben removed her pants slowly as he kissed her belly. Once she was completely naked under him Ben parted her legs so he could have total access to her inner tight. His devious mouth was everywhere, or so it felt.

When he finally reached her clit Rey let a low moan escape her throat and she held tightly to the blankets. Ben’s tongue circled the sensitive spot slowly as two fingers slid inside her adding some extra stimulation to their foreplay. Fingers and tongue worked in perfect sync as Rey was sent to the edge of her pleasure for the second time that day. Ben was extremely skilled, but it was his patience for keeping it at a slow pace what turned it into a maddening experience.

She was so close that it felt as if her body was about to explode, but Ben would change the rhythm at the very last second, retarding her climax. He did it a coupled of times, leaving her frustrated. It seemed that he was enjoying that little display of dominance.

Eventually Ben decided that she should have her orgasm and Rey’s whole body was licked by the furious waves of blinding pleasure. She was still numbed when she suddenly felt the intrusion. Ben was already on top of her, completely naked and looking straight at her face as he guided his cock all the way into her. He was careful and meticulous about his movements which was a blessing at that moment. It had been a long time since she last had any sort of intimacy and Ben wasn’t small in any way.

He kissed her once he was completely buried inside her. Both of them remained motionless for a second. Ben started to rock his hips gently against hers. The rhythm was slow and gentle while Rey adjusted to his size. Kisses and caressed were silent signs to change the pace and as he got more confident the rhythm increased and became wild.

Ben surely had the stamina and vigor to keep their love making going on for hours. He didn’t seem interested in making a rushed affair out of it, but Rey was feeling a bit impatient under him. She gave his ass a playful smack and grinned at his surprised expression.

“On your back, big boy.” She said breathlessly and Ben obeyed without questioning.

Ben laid on his back and his hungry eyes observed as she straddled him. She took his cock into her hand and guided it back inside her moist cunt. His hands grabbed her ass as Rey started moving. Her hands flat against his rock hard chest for support. Ben kept looking at her as if she was a deity as Rey rode him all the way to their climax.

She came for the third time and the sudden contraction of her muscles sent him over the edge too. Ben came inside her and Rey felt the warmth filling her completely. She laid her upper body on top of him and Ben held her tightly as he slowly softened inside her.

 

§§§§§§§§§§§

 

He was still breathless and his head was foggy as Rey laid on top of him. In an instinctive movement he embraced her and stroke her chestnut hair gently. After a while his mind started to clear and Ben realized with a hint of shock and despair that he was in love with that girl and sex had never felt so good before.

“This was not how I thought this day would end.” Rey said lazily.

“Who said it ended? Just give me a few minutes to recover and we can do it all over again.” He answered all too satisfied with himself. 

“I can’t stay here at your disposal all day.” She answered.

“I don’t see why you couldn’t. This place is awfully big. There’s plenty of room for both of us.”

“I’m not convinced yet.” She insisted.

“You know what? I’m hungry. What about you?” He changed the subject before it could turn into a sentimental conversation that would serve to no purpose other than make the day after awkward.

“I’m starving.” She agreed. “Should we order something?”

“That or...I can cook for you.” Ben suggested. Rey smiled at him.

“Sounds perfect.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it me or it got hot here? XD  
> I hope you'll like it and reviews are highly appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

Ben realized that he could get used to that life as he chopped mushrooms to cook an improvised risotto. Rey was looking at him with eyes of a scientist examining a Guinea pig. She had borrowed one of his t-shirts that barely covered her tights and she had picked a fleshy strawberry for a bite.

He was terrible at after-sex meaningless talk and the fact that he didn’t know exactly what he should do next about Rey didn’t help much. Cooking would give him a perfect excuse to be absent for an hour or so. At that point he was desperate for Rey to say something. Anything to initiate a conversation that had nothing to do with sex or the next step of that...Relationship.

“Would you mind if I asked something?” Rey finally said while looking around his apartment with an evaluative gaze.

“You already asked, but go ahead.” Ben couldn’t help the sarcasm, but she didn’t seem to mind it at all.

“Why is this place so empty?” She asked in confusion. “I mean...You have a perfectly equipped kitchen and your room have the basics like a bed and a TV. Other than that this place look like as if no one lived here.”

That was a reasonable and clever question.

“I moved to town in hurry once I received the news about my mother’s health. Most of my things remained in New York.” He said while tossing the ingredients inside the pan. “I picked this place because of the location and this kitchen. I decided I would think about what to do with it in a more convenient opportunity.”

“Are you going back to New York?” She asked carefully. The most important thing was what she wasn’t asking, but was very much implied in her question.

“Short trips once a month to check on the other office, but I’m not moving back anytime soon.” He answered in a light tone before tasting the rice. “As much as I hate to admit it… It took me too long to fix my relationship with my parents. Now that we have a somewhat civilized coexistence I think I should be closer. They are not getting any younger and I’m their only child. They are my responsibility.”

“Nice to know that I have no part in this. I would hate to change your plans.” Her voice had a heavy taste of sarcasm. He couldn’t help grinning at it.

“You are bonus to my original plan that I wasn’t expecting, but...Yes. You do have a part in my decision. Who would feed you if I went back to New York?” He teased. “Maybe I should decorate this place now that I’m staying, or maybe I should look for a house. I really don’t know.”

“It’s a nice neighborhood and this building seems to have all sort of facilities. A house is kind of a pointless decision for a single man like you.”

“Except that I’m not really single, am I?” Ben asked bluntly. If the uncomfortable questions would be made sooner or later, maybe he should make the first move and let Rey decide what to make of them.

Rey flushed immediately at that question. Suddenly her movements became erratic and anxious as if she didn’t know what to do with herself at the moment. It was kind of funny to see her reaction, especially when sex was no longer a line to be crossed. She was wearing his t-shirt and probably still smelling of burned oil and his post-shave cologne. It wasn’t as if they had entered that app looking for an adventure (he was actually looking for a pragmatic business partner, but one can’t control everything).

“It’s ok if you don’t feel comfortable giving this thing we have a name.” He said in an attempt of ease her conscience. At this point the risotto was ready and he moved the pan to the center of the isle to serve Rey. “ _Bon appétite._ ”

“It’s not like that...” She said as if she was searching for the right words to explain her sudden silence. “I’ve been on my own for so long that the idea of having someone in my life feels like...A hell of a change.”

“Awkward first date, generous second chance, copping with family drama over coffee, silly competitions and sex...If you look around you’ll see that I’m used to be on my own too, but in a month or so you managed to mess up with this arrangement I had and I kind of like having you near.” He said before tasting his food and nearly burning his tongue. “Fuck! This is hot.”

Rey muffled a laugh at his reaction a but and the tension between them seemed to ease.

“I kind of like having you around. It’s funny to tease you anyway.” She answered after tasting the food. “It also happens that you are pretty good at cooking and I’m pretty good at eating, so...Feels like a good deal.”

“I’m pretty good at other things too.” He couldn’t help looking at her and grinning maliciously. Lunch was good, but he still wanted to have Rey for dessert.

“I refuse to comment this.” Rey stuffed her mouth with another portion of risotto and Ben laughed at her unusual shyness.

“In my defense I should say that I was the one to be sexually assaulted. I was just sitting by your side, minding my own business when you decided to grab my tight. That was a very inappropriate move, Miss.” Rey rolled her eyes.

“You kissed me first.” She protested.

“Yes, I did. It was only fair since I should have won that race and you know it. You were the one to have other ideas and...It happens that I don’t usually turn my back at a lady in need.”

 

§§§§§§§§§

 

Rey really hadn’t expected their little competition to lead them to another level in that awkward relationship, but she wasn’t complaining about it either. Ben was – to her utter surprise – rather creative, attentive and even tender at times.

Like Poe had said when she first entered that damn app, with that level of compatibility sex was supposed to be amazing, being “amazing” the only words she could find to describe it.

The after-sex talk was something neither of them seemed particularly good at, but that moment had also been quite revealing.

Ben no longer considered himself as a single man, which implied that they were actually in a relationship and not only having random dates. The idea was kind of funny when she thought about it. She was used to be on her own and suddenly there was Ben; that massive piece of taciturn man, with a competitive nature and a surprising sense of humor when he lowered his defenses.

Rey thought she would be back home shortly after lunch, but Ben didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get rid of her just yet. Risotto and good wine, a bit of idle conversation and soon they were back in bed.

There was a playfulness to the way Ben bit her shoulder; to the way he played with her senses and took his time to find out what Rey liked in bed. To feel him inside her was a powerful experience, not only because sex was supposed to be all about pleasure, but mostly because Rey could feel a deep sort of connection with him. In a way Ben felt like destiny; like something inevitable and sex only served to make it even more evident.

She didn’t know how long their little passion plays lasted, but when they finally considered themselves satisfied the sun had already gone from the sky.

“It’s late.” Rey said lazily as she looked through the window of his bedroom. “I should probably go home.”

Ben silenced her with a kiss and held her tightly in answer.

“It’s rather inconvenient to let you go. I don’t think I’ll do such a thing.” He said with a cocky smile.

“I really need to get some rest. I have classes and work tomorrow. How can I possibly fix those motors if I’m completely sleep deprived and exhausted?” Rey said it as a matter of fact. Ben laughed lightly.

“Afraid that I won’t let you sleep, are you?” He teased. “That’s a very tempting idea, I must say.”

“I would never suspect if you hadn’t said.” Sarcasm was something they shared and Ben seemed to like that in her.

“It’s not my fault that you are such a wild and insatiable thing.” He grinned at her. “I understand though. Let me just have a shower and I can take you home.”

“A shower sounds like a very good idea.” Rey said as a matter of fact.

“You can always get in the shower with me. Sounds way more funny this way.” Ben suggested and Rey kissed his lips in answer.

“In fact...I will.” She grinned at him in answer.

 

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

 

Ben drove her back home after a long shower. Rey took one of his shirts with her as another token of her victory at the karts. As she walked away to enter her building, Rey turned to wave him goodbye once more as Ben grinned at her like an idiot.

_How come that I’m falling so fast and so easily?_ The question was becoming persistent as the days passed. He couldn’t say for sure if they were a couple or not, but after that day Ben was pretty sure that there was no way back for him. Rey was an accident; something unplanned and potentially dangerous, but he was no longer being cautious. He didn’t want to be cautious.

What had started as a petty piss contest against his father and a way to please his mother so she would keep fighting the cancer suddenly became something else.

What was that “something else” was a matter for a long and relentless inner debate, but Ben could say for sure that he wasn’t willing to get rid of Rey any time soon.

He cursed his fate under his breath. It worked. His creation truly worked and that was the scary part of it. Ben have had little faith in his own talent since he actually thought it to be possible for him to meat someone in Force Bond and then simply get rid of her once his purpose had been fulfilled. He had to be convinced of the app’s differential as much as his father. He had been convinced.

Once he got back home the emptiness of the apartment suddenly hit him. The lack of furniture suddenly became too evident and too oppressive. It felt impersonal, cold and simply sad to look at. Maybe it was time for him to think on the long run and try to make that place look more like a home he would like to go back to after work.

As Ben closed the door of the apartment, his phone rang. There was this tinny part of him that wished it were Rey calling just to say “goodnight”, but it was his mother.

“Hello.” He said economically.

“There you are! You haven’t called these last days. I was worried about you.” Senator Leia said in her usually incisive tone. “What happened to you? I thought you would show up for lunch today.”

“Sorry mother. I have been busy at work and I already had plans for today. I just didn’t expect it would consume my whole day.” He said as a matter of fact, trying to not let it show that he had been in the company of a very naked lady all day.

“Anything related to your lady friend?” His mother questioned as if she was capable of reading his mind. Ben could feel is ears burning.

“In fact...Yes. We went to the karts today and I cooked for her.” It was for the best to keep it to half truths. His mother didn’t need to know all the sordid details of it.

“Sounds like you’ve been making a real effort to woo her.” Leia’s voice was one of approval. “Tell me...Sex happened before or after the cooking.”

How could she possibly ask those things to her own son?! Ben felt silent for a while. He simply didn’t know what to say. His mother seemed to find his lack of words rather amusing though. She was laughing out loud on the phone.

“I find your silence to be rather telling. I’ll assume she kept you busy for the day.” Leia said. “I won’t keep pushing the topic if you don’t feel comfortable talking about it with me.”

“That’s a relief, I gotta say.” Ben finally answered. “There’s a level of intimacy that I would rather not have with you, mother.”

“It ridiculous how much of a conservator you can be. I really don’t get why, but it must be something from your father’s side.”

“Not everyone can be as open minded as you, senator.” Ben replied with a hint of humor.

“Well...Can I ask how serious it is already? I don’t really know how these things work for your generation. You all seem afraid of naming the damn thing and make it sound like a lifetime sentence anyway.”

“I guess...I guess it’s getting serious.” Ben confessed awkwardly. “I don’t really know what to think of it.”

“Why is that?” Leia questioned kindly. Ben went to his bedroom and laid on his bed once more. It still smelled of Rey.

“Neither of us is good at letting people into our lives so I’m not making assumptions.” He explained. “Conversation got a bit weird today when I suggested that we have a relationship.”

“What your guts tell you?” Leia asked. She used to do that when he was a child. Whenever he had to make a big decision, or whenever he got into trouble, Leia would tell him to trust his instincts and the Force would lead him to the right place. Once more he was silent. To even consider to speak those things out loud felt too final.

“That I need to get this apartment decorated, or at least furnish it so it will look like as if someone actually lives.” Ben changed the subject before his mother started to make plans such as wedding receptions and nurseries.

“So you are staying...” Leia’s voice sounded both surprised and delighted.

“Yes, I am. It happens that there’s a great deal of things that need my attention here. I’ll keep the New York apartment so I won’t have to worry about finding a hotel whenever I have to visit the other office, but I need to give this place a decent appearance. I would like to have a nice place to go back to after work.”

“I can help with that.” Leia suggested with enthusiasm. “I have plenty of time now that the treatment was suspended. I still have some time before I go back to the Senate. It would be nice to spend some time with you choosing furniture and curtains.”

“Here I thought you would finally let go of politics.” He sighed. “Don’t you think your health comes first?”

“I have a duty, Ben. One that I’m fiercely proud of performing.” Leia said in a calm tone. “I know you don’t like it and you would rather have me resting at home, but that’s not me. I’m fine though. If I don’t get back to work I’ll go mad.”

“I suppose arguing with you about it is rather pointless.” Ben concluded. “I accept the help with the decoration and I promise I won’t bother you with my complains about you going back to the Senate.”

“Good.” She answered in a pragmatic way. “Since we are making plans...I’ll have a dinner party prepared once we are done with this decoration. I guess it will you and your lady friend plenty of time to figure out what is it that you have and we can all be formally introduced. Does it sound reasonable?”

“Fair enough.” Ben agreed. He could only hope that Rey would like the idea.

 

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

 

Finn was obviously annoyed by Poe’s strange behavior and it wasn’t without reason. The racer wouldn’t stop asking about Rey whereabouts, or saying that she had been out for too long.

Even if Poe loved their neighbor like the little sister he never had, Finn couldn’t get why he was being so paranoid about it.

“She must be with the guy.” Finn said. “It’s not as if she had much to do here anyway. I feel happy for her. If anyone deserves a nice guy in her life, that’s Rey.”

“Except he isn’t a nice guy.” Poe replied while walking back to the sofa to sit near Finn.

“Why do you say that? Since she decided to give him a second chance, he seems to be acting like a decent guy. I don’t like the whole pseudonym thing, but that’s something I still have to look into.” Finn tried to sound pragmatic.

“It happens that I know the guy.” Poe said. “Or at least his reputation and believe me...You would be worried too.”

“I don’t get it. If you knew him all along, why have you insisted with Rey to date him?” Finn questioned in an annoyed tone.

“I hadn’t noticed his story sounded oddly familiar. I simply thought it sounded like something out of a TV drama.” Poe said in an exasperated tone. “I talked with Han the other day...He was super happy about Senator Leia being free from chemo and his son getting back in town. The thing Rey’s boyfriend isn’t telling her is his surname. It happens that his name is Ben Solo. He is Han and Leia’s only child.”

“Isn’t it something good? Like...Rey is dating something like American royalty and the guy also crafted a name for himself, which is admirable.” Finn’s argumentation was actually very reasonable, except for the fact that he wasn’t familiar with all the Solo Drama.

“Let us say he doesn’t have a good criminal record.” Poe said soberly. “He has been detained a couple of times for aggression and vandalism. He gave Han and Senator Leia a hell of a headache in the past to the point of them sending him to a camp that sounds more like a religion oriented reformatory.”

“You think Rey is in danger?” Finn sounded shocked and afraid at the same time. “Do you think he is still like this?”

“I don’t really know. He doesn’t get along with Han. He has been away for over a decade and only came back for his mother.” Poe added. “I just...I just don’t want Rey to get hurt in all this. I have no idea if he found some balance in life, but there’s no way I’ll stay here watching my friend heading toward a potential aggressor. First that whole mess at The Maz, then he shows up at the garage and give her no option but to go with him to only the Force knows where. Now she is gone for the whole day! I am worried and I won’t feel any different until I get the chance to know the guy and be sure that he is no longer Ben Ticking Bomb Solo.”

They stopped talking when they heard the sound of a car parking. They both went to the window to check if it were Rey getting back home. They just didn’t expect her to come back wearing a male shirt and a face of a child who stole the last cookie from the jar. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it and reviews are highly appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the prologue, but I hope you'll like it and reviews are highly appreciated.


End file.
